Rise of the Black King
by Above the Winter Moonlight
Summary: When their royal heritage is revealed, Lelouch and Nunnally Lamperouge are forced back into their roles as members of the Imperial Family. As he sets upon a new path, Lelouch faces uncertain alliances, dangerous enemies, dark secrets, forbidden love, shocking betrayals, and a war that could destroy all that he is trying to achieve. Very AU. Lelouch/Shirley & Suzaku/Euphie.
1. A Field Trip Interrupted

**_Disclaimer:_** _I do not own Code Geass. I never have, I never will, and I am only saying this one so I will not repeat it in later chapters._

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 **Rise of the Black King**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 **Arc I**

 **Revelation**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

"There are no secrets that time does not reveal."

—Jean Racine

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _November 22, 2010_

 _Somewhere in Area 5_

 _He first met her a few weeks after he left the Order._

 _She didn't look a day older than ten or eleven. She was curled up, shivering, beside a dumpster in the alley he was going to use as a shortcut to his temporary home. Filled trash bags surrounded her, her skinny frame was covered by a thin, tattered soot-covered jacket; her aqua-colored hair was greasy and matted as if it hadn't been washed or brushed in a while. Her face was covered in soot as were the tattered clothing that she wore beneath the jacket._

 _She noticed him and terror entered her dark eyes. She scooted closer to the wall, curling her arms around herself as if attempting to protect her. A pang of sympathy went through him. At one point in time, he had been very vain, arrogant, and unsympathetic toward those whom he felt were inferior to him. However, after he had received the curse of immortality upon fulfilling a contract centuries earlier, he had learned sympathy and compassion._

 _He knelt down in front of the girl. "It's okay, I won't hurt you," he said, keeping his voice soft and gentle, stretching out a hand toward the terrified little girl._

 _She shrank away, her eyes wide and disbelieving. It didn't surprise him. She didn't know him, therefore, she wouldn't trust his word. He sat back on his heels, studying the girl. "My name's B.B., what's yours?" he asked._

 _The girl swallowed. "T…Tara," she stammered out and he detected a slight accent in her voice, suggesting that she might be from the EU, which made him wonder what she was doing in Area 5._

 _"It's nice to meet you, Tara," B.B. said gently and blinked when he heard a stomach growl and Tara's cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "Someone sounds hungry." He reached into his jacket's pocket and pulled out a small bag of chips that he had on him, since he often brought snacks with him whenever he left his little home. He held it out to her._

 _"Go ahead," he said gently when she eyed the bag and then him with distrust in her eyes. "See? It's not open so it won't hurt you."_

 _Tara's small hand shot out and snatched the bag out of his hand. She opened it and slowly began eating the contents, her eyes never leaving his. He simply remained crouched in front of her, trying to decide what to do with the scared little girl._

 _He contemplated calling Child Services. He knew that they would take care of her but, unfortunately, he didn't have his phone on him and he didn't want to leave her by herself. There were dangerous criminals roaming around in the night and he didn't want something to happen to the small girl._

 _Tara finished eating the chips and gazed at B.B., some of the distrust had faded by this point but he knew that one act of kindness wouldn't erase all of her distrust. It was understandable._

 _A clap of thunder sounded and B.B. looked up to find dark storm clouds rolling across the sky. Moments later, it began to rain. Tara shivered as the cold droplets of water landed on her and drew her tattered jacket closer, though it did little to ward off the cold rain._

 _B.B. gently removed his own jacket and draped it over the small girl, causing her to blink at him in surprise. "You don't want to get sick. My place isn't far from here. At the very least, it'll get you out of the rain," he said._

 _The girl wasn't stupid and she didn't move, her eyes narrowing._

 _He smiled at her. "All right, I understand that you don't trust me but you'll get sick if you stay out in the rain and I doubt you want that. I swear on my honor that I won't harm you," he said softly._

 _She still didn't believe him but, when a cold wind surged through the alley and she shivered again, she apparently decided that going with him was better than staying outside. Slowly, she nodded mutely._

 _He stretched out a hand to her and she placed a shaking hand in his. He pulled her to her feet and gently guided her down the alley and toward his little house where they both got out of the cold rain._

 **. . .**

 **1**

 **A Field Trip Interrupted**

 _February 29, 2016_

 _Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11_

It was dark and clouds covered the sky, blocking out the light of the stars and the moon, and promising rain to come. B.B. suspected that the rain would come in the morning but he rather enjoyed the rain. The sound of rain on the window and the smell of freshly fallen rain always brought back memories of a happier time, of when he was able to spend time with his family.

Until they were taken from him.

He clenched his hand into a fist but relaxed it as he looked away from the sky and wandered over to his desk. After organizing everything again so that he would be able to find what he needed to at a moment's notice, he sat down and opened his laptop.

He cast a sidelong glance at the sleeping form of the girl he had started a contract with and he thought about what she would be doing the following day. She had volunteered for the mission and yet he felt strangely uncertain about letting her go through with it. He mused that he may have become a bit protective of the girl since he found her in Area 5 almost six years ago.

 _And I haven't felt that way toward anyone since I lost Eva and Daniel,_ he thought, a small sad smile crossing his face as he thought about the small girl and the teenage boy that had been among the only family he had left. Of course, due to the fact that B.B. wasn't exactly as old as he looked—he was many centuries older than what he looked and Eva and Daniel had been his many times great niece and nephew—he couldn't exactly tell them that he was their many times great uncle. They would have never believed him; Daniel hadn't until he became the first person that B.B. entered into a contract with. But still, he had felt protective toward them and had wanted to ensure that they had a safe and peaceful life.

And then Britannia had come in and ruined it all.

He remembered seeing his niece and nephew's bloodstained bodies after they were gunned down by Britannian soldiers, the latter trying to use his power to protect the former. The soldiers had been led by the very person for whom his hatred was reserved before he had ascended the throne. B.B. had tried his hardest to protect them but had been shot for his efforts; due to the Code, he had come back to life but it had been too late to get any help for Eva and Daniel.

He shoved the thought aside, reminding himself that he would get his revenge soon enough and he was going to try and start the following day.

He wasn't expecting the girl to actually succeed but he hoped that she would be able to implement the backup plan that would get her out of there alive. He didn't want to lose her, not only because she had to fulfil her end of their contract but also because he had come to care for her. He didn't exactly show it that much but he did.

The girl murmured under her breath in her sleep, starting to toss and turn and B.B. glanced up, watching as she sat up sharply with a small scream, gazing around rapidly. B.B. put down his laptop and moved to the girl's side, sitting down beside.

"It was just a nightmare," he murmured.

The girl gazed at him, terror still in her eyes but she swallowed and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. This wasn't the first time that she had experienced a nightmare; she had been experiencing them off and on for the past six years.

"I'm okay now," the girl said quietly.

"You should get some rest. You have a busy day tomorrow," B.B. said.

The girl nodded. "I'm not gonna let you down," she said firmly as she rested her head on her pillow and drew her blankets to her chin. "Goodnight."

"Sleep well," B.B. replied and watched as the girl closed her eyes and drifted into sleep again.

 **. . .**

 _March 1, 2016_

 _Tokyo Settlement, Area 11_

Rain fell from the overcast sky as the bus made its way down the puddle-laden streets. Tall buildings flew past and flashes of lightning illuminated the dark sky. Lelouch Lamperouge watched the falling rain splatter against the windows of the bus, his chin resting on the palm of his hand and his body leaning against the side of the bus. His entire posture screamed boredom.

The students in both the middle and high school divisions of Ashford Academy were on a field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts. The trip wasn't mandatory but, due to the offer of extra credit for their Art History classes, the majority of Lelouch's grade had decided to go. Unlike his classmates, Lelouch didn't need to go; he already had extremely high grades, despite either not showing up to or sleeping through his classes, so he didn't need the extra credit.

"This field trip sounds like it's gonna be fun," Nunnally Lamperouge, Lelouch's little sister and the reason why he was going on the field trip, said with a bright smile. She was seated near the back of the bus on her wheelchair with Lelouch seated near her.

When the announcement of the field trip had first been made and the date was set, Nunnally had been excited to go. Due to Prince Clovis la Britannia's fascination with art, the day that was decided on for the field trip was the Art Day Clovis created in which activities that included painting, ceramic work, and drawing would be held at the museum they were visiting. That was what Nunnally was looking forward to the most. She asked Lelouch to go with her simply because she wanted to spend time with him and Lelouch couldn't say 'no' to his little sister.

"I'm sure it will, Nunnally," Lelouch replied.

"I wonder what activities are going to be held," Nunnally said with a tilt of her head, causing light-brown hair to spill out over her shoulder.

"Who knows? Probably basic things like painting or whatever," Lelouch said.

"Probably. I remember Brother Clovis was always a talented painter," Nunnally said with a smile.

"Yeah," Lelouch said, a twinge of worry went through him but he pushed it away. He knew that the worry came from the fact that if Clovis ever saw them then they would be recognized in an instant. However, he knew that he was probably just being paranoid; Clovis rarely ever attended these kinds of things.

"Hey, Shirley! What was that assignment we were supposed to do on this trip for the extra credit?" Rivalz Cardemonde, one of Lelouch's friends and a member of the Ashford Academy Student Council, said, turning in his seat to look at another of Lelouch's friends seated behind him. He had dark-blue hair and a hopeful look on his face.

Shirley Fenette was tall with long orange hair and yellowish-green eyes that were currently narrowed at Rivalz, her arms folded across her chest. "You shouldn't have skipped class that day with Lulu or you would've known what the assignment was," she scolded, tossing a glance at Lelouch as she said that.

"Ah, c'mon, Shirley, please tell me! I'm in danger of failing Art History," Rivalz pleaded.

Shirley sighed and uncrossed her arms. "Oh, all right. You're supposed to write a three-page double-spaced report on one of the pieces of artwork on display," she said.

"Thanks, Shirley," Rivalz said. "Though I can't say I'm thrilled with the assignment. Man, Lelouch, how the heck are you passing that class with an A? What's your secret?"

Lelouch's lips quirked into a small smile as he shrugged. "I honestly don't know. It just happened," he said.

"Oh, please, everyone here knows you're a genius, Lelouch," Milly Ashford, another of Lelouch's close friends whom he'd known for a lot longer than the rest of the Student Council, said, poking her head over the window seat in front of him. She was a tall, blonde girl with bright blue eyes and a mischievous smirk on her lips. "Well, academically anyway. You're still pretty clueless, especially when it comes to Shirley."

Lelouch blinked at Milly, confusion in his amethyst eyes. "What about Shirley?" he asked.

"I rest my case. Oh, look, we're here," Milly said and disappeared back into her seat as the bus came to a stop in front of the Museum of Fine Arts.

Lelouch, deciding against questioning Milly further, followed his friends out of the bus, moving over to take over pushing Nunnally's wheelchair. He guided her over to the last member of their little group, Nina Einstein, who was already flipping through the guidebook that had been handed to them when they left the bus. She was a short, dark-green haired girl with round-rimmed glasses hiding indigo-colored eyes.

"All right, class, gather around," Mrs. Hawley, their Art History teacher, called and Lelouch tapped Nina on the shoulder. When she glanced at him, he nodded to where the rest of the class had already gathered at the entrance to the museum.

"Oh, thanks," Nina said softly.

"You're welcome," Lelouch said and pushed Nunnally over to join the rest of the group.

"I just wanted to give you a few reminders," Hawley said. "For those of you in my class, remember that next Wednesday, your three-page report on one of the artworks on display will be due for ten points extra credit. I will not accept any late assignments. Also, Mrs. Riley told me to tell her class that they will have an art project based on a piece of artwork on display in this museum that will be due a week from this Friday."

"I'm gonna have fun with that," Nunnally said.

"At least you get something fun," Rivalz muttered.

"At noon, we'll gather in the lobby and head over to Red Phoenix Restaurant for lunch and then head back to the school. Have fun," Hawley said and led the way into the lobby of the museum.

After Lelouch got Nunnally the audio tour guide, the two of them began the tour with the rest of their friends trailing after the siblings. Lelouch scanned many of the tapestries, paintings, and sculptures that filled with museum with disinterest. Unlike Clovis, Lelouch didn't really care for art.

"Oh, I think I'm going to do my report on this," Shirley said, gazing at a painting of a beautiful landscape with snow-capped mountains and a winding stream bordered by snow-covered riverbanks. "It's so pretty." She pulled out a notepad from her backpack and quickly wrote down the information on the tag so that she could look up more information on it later.

"Which one's that one?" Nunnally asked.

"Umm, number 22," Shirley said.

Nunnally scrolled through the audio guide until she found the appropriate file and played it, tilting her head to the side. "Oh, I think I know where that is," she said. "It sounds beautiful."

Lelouch gazed at his sister, wondering if, perhaps, this wasn't a good idea. She sounded sad as she said that and Lelouch knew that there were times when she was upset by her inability to see. However, her bright smile came back and she happily asked to go on to the next exhibit and Lelouch decided that if Nunnally was happy, that was all that mattered.

The group continued to wander around the museum, taking in all the artworks on display; from ancient tapestries depicting battles to paintings of the Emperor that Lelouch glowered at to landscape paintings of mountains and streams and valleys to sculptures of various important people in history. Nunnally seemed to be enjoying herself, despite only being able to listen to descriptions and information on the exhibits themselves. Rivalz seemed bored out of his mind and Milly was looking around with a calculating gleam that always suggested she was coming up with ideas.

When they came across an exhibit dedicated to Area 11 pre-invasion, bittersweet memories filled Lelouch as he gazed around. _Area 11, Japan, used to be beautiful,_ he thought as he studied a picture depicting a shrine that was almost identical to the Kururugi Shrine with a couple of cherry blossoms in front of it. _Then Britannia came._

There was no denying that Lelouch hated Britannia, though his hatred was mostly focused on the Emperor himself. After he and Nunnally were exiled following him rashly demanding that the Emperor look into his mother's assassination more, he had fallen in love with Japan. It had become more of a home to him than Britannia ever would be. As it was, the Kururugi family treated him a hell of a lot better than the Emperor or the majority of his half-siblings ever did.

A few hours later, it was noon and the group gathered in the lobby, ready to head over to the Red Phoenix Restaurant for lunch. Nunnally was happily cradling the foam crane that she had painted earlier. "I wish I could've made another one to give to Sayoko," she said.

"Maybe we can come back the next time this is held and do it then," Lelouch suggested.

Nunnally beamed.

"Oh, looks like we're the first ones back," Milly noted, scanning the lobby, which was only filled with a few new visitors and Mrs. Hawley.

"The others should be back soon," Shirley noted.

"I hope they get here soon. I'm hungry," Rivalz murmured as he sat down on a bench in the lobby. "I shouldn't've skipped breakfast this morning."

Before anyone could respond to that, a girl with pale-purple hair and dark eyes skipped over to join them. "Hi," she chirped. "Do you think you can help me?"

"Sure," Shirley, who was always friendly to everyone she meets, said. "What do you need help with?"

"I'm looking for someone but I'm not entirely sure he's here even though he said he would be," the girl said. "Do you think you can help me?"

"Sure. What's he look like?"

"Blonde, blue eyes, taller than you, he's in his mid-twenties, I think," the girl said.

Shirley looked thoughtful. "I don't think I've seen anyone that fits that description. Have you guys?" she asked, turning her gaze to everyone else.

"Nope," Rivalz said.

Milly and Nina shook their heads.

"What about you, Lulu?" Shirley asked, glancing at Lelouch who looked thoughtful. The description, however vague it was, made him think about his half-brother Clovis for some reason.

"I don't think so," Lelouch said.

The girl's eyes flicked toward him and then to Nunnally. "Shame. I was really hoping that he was here," she said with a pout.

"Maybe he's just late," Shirley suggested.

"Yeah, maybe he is. Well, thanks anyway," the girl said with a friendly smile that seemed almost fake to Lelouch and walked off but not before Lelouch saw the smile fade into a scowl. He blinked at that but decided it wasn't important.

Soon, more of their classmates began to file into the lobby, chatting with their friends or scrolling through the photos they had taken while they were wandering around the museum.

"All right, everyone," Hawley said once everyone had gathered around her and she counted everyone to ensure that the number of students she had left the academy with were there. However, before she could go on, the doors to the museum opened and Lelouch froze as a very familiar blonde young man walked into the lobby surrounded by members of his Royal Guard.

Clovis la Britannia hadn't changed much since Lelouch last saw him. He was slightly taller and his blonde hair had gotten a bit longer but, other than that, he hadn't changed. His blue eyes scanned the crowd of students curiously as if he wasn't expecting them to be there.

Milly quickly shifted until she was standing in front of Lelouch and Nunnally as Clovis's eyes passed over them.

"Your Highness! This is an unexpected surprise," Mrs. Hawley said.

"Brother Clovis is here?" Nunnally whispered, reaching out a hand and Lelouch gently took it.

"Yeah but Milly's hiding us," Lelouch murmured back.

Nunnally nodded slowly, a little confused. She had been very young when they were exiled and so didn't know the full story behind what happened to cause their exile. She only knew that their father had exiled them and thought it was just to keep them safe from the people who murdered their mother. That was why she and Lelouch had remained in hiding and hadn't revealed their presence when Clovis had become Area 11's Viceroy.

Lelouch, on the other hand, knew the real reason, though he didn't have the heart to tell her it; it was because he, being rash and stupid and jumping headfirst into the situation without thinking about the consequences, had confronted the Emperor, a stupid plan now that he thought about it.

 _Hn, hindsight is 20/20 I suppose,_ he thought.

He briefly wondered if he had handled that matter differently, would he and Nunnally have remained in Pendragon? Or would they still have been used as bargaining chips during the Sakuradite Crisis?

He pushed the thought away, reminding himself that there was no point in thinking about 'what ifs'. Nothing could change the past and it wasn't as if it would matter. The Emperor had made it plain clear that he cared little about Lelouch and Nunnally.

 _Why should I care about that weakling?_

 _You are dead to me. Dead the moment you were born._

He gritted his teeth and shoved the thought out of his mind, not wanting to think about the bastard who sired him.

Nunnally squeezed his hand gently and he calmed down.

"I certainly was not expecting so many students here at once," Clovis noted with a smile.

"We will get out of your way if you wish, Your Highness," Hawley said.

"No, no, it's fine. They're here to enjoy the wonders of art and I won't stop them. I do hope they enjoy it like I do whenever I come here," Clovis said.

"I'm sure they have, Your Highness," Hawley said.

At that moment, the pale-purple haired girl wandered over to join the group of students. She meandered her way through the crowd and came to a stop in front of them, prompting the students to look at her in confusion. It was clear that she wasn't a student and yet it was almost as if she was pretending to be one.

"Excuse me, Your Highness?" she said.

Clovis turned to her in confusion. "Yes?" he said.

The girl smiled brightly. "It's about time you showed up. I was getting bored waiting for you," she said.

 _She was looking for Clovis? Why?_ Lelouch thought.

He got his answer a moment later when the pale-purple haired girl smiled and, suddenly, Clovis and every single member of his Royal Guard were _thrown_ backwards as if struck by a powerful, invisible wind. She then whirled around and Lelouch was just able to catch sight of the glowing bird-like sigil around her left eye before an invisible two-by-four slammed into his chest, sending him flying backwards along with the other students. He heard Nunnally cry out and snapped his head up as soon as he landed to find her skidding across the floor, having been thrown out of her wheelchair, toward him. He caught her, causing them both to skid back a few more feet.

Nina, who had been sent skidding alongside Lelouch, lifted her head as she came to a stop beside the siblings. "W…What just happened?" she asked.

"I don't know," Lelouch said. _But I don't like this._ His mind went to that odd bird-like sigil in the girl's eye.

"Whoa, it sure is powerful," the girl, the only one who was still on her feet, said with a satisfied laugh.

The Royal Guard had gotten to their feet at that moment and began firing at her but the girl turned to gaze at the bullets flying at her. They were suddenly diverted into the large double doors leading into the museum as if a wind had slammed into them, throwing them off course.

"Don't get in my way," the girl said flatly and the Royal Guard were suddenly sent flying backwards again. They crashed into the wall hard and slumped to the ground, whether they were unconscious or dead, Lelouch didn't know and didn't want to know.

Clovis got to his feet, his hair mussed and his clothing ruffled and covered in dust from skidding across the museum's floor. His eyes were wide with shock and outrage. "Do you know who I am?" he demanded.

"Yes, I do, actually," the girl said with a shrug. "Clovis la Britannia, eldest son of Gabrielle la Britannia, Third Prince of the Holy Empire of Britannia. _Royalty_." She spat out the last word as though it were a curse and turned to face the students, a cruel smirk on her face when her eyes landed on Lelouch, who was holding Nunnally gently in his arms.

"And you aren't the only one here too," she said. "Three royals in one day. This must be my lucky day." She giggled and her eye began to glow again.

Nunnally screamed as she was torn from Lelouch's arms as if picked up by an invisible hand and thrown to the other side of the lobby, closer to where the pale-purple haired girl stood.

"Nunnally!" Lelouch shouted as Nunnally crashed hard into the ground, a whimper of pain escaping her lips.

"How could you do something like that?" Shirley exclaimed, getting to her feet nearby and staring at the pale-purple haired girl in utter shock.

Before long, all the other students were voicing their own complaints since Nunnally was beloved by the entire student body, no matter which division they came from.

"Shut up," the pale-purple haired girl snarled, yanking a gun out and pointing it at the students, causing them to shut up in fear. "This isn't any of your business. This is between me and the Royal Family. And I'm taking that princess out now." She turned the gun to Nunnally who pushed herself into a sitting position, unaware of the danger she was in.

Lelouch was, though.

The pale-purple haired girl pulled the trigger.

A _bang_ sounded as Lelouch, a burst of adrenaline going through him, darted forward and threw himself protectively in front of Nunnally.

A searing pain exploded in his back and the last thing he heard was Nunnally's scream of horror before darkness claimed him.

 **. . .**

Nunnally's scream of horror was echoed by all the other students that were gathered, except for Shirley. She was just staring in utter shock as Lelouch's bloodstained body collapsed in front of Nunnally, blood pouring from the wound in his back. _Oh God, he…he…_ She couldn't think straight; she couldn't do anything but stare at the scene in utter shock.

She had always known that Lelouch doted on and adored his little sister but it still shocked her that he had willingly thrown himself in front of a bullet to save Nunnally. And then she found herself wondering why she was so surprised. She had always known that Lelouch cared about Nunnally so much that he would do anything for her.

"Oh God, is he…?" Nina trailed off, staring wide-eyed at the scene while Nunnally cradled Lelouch's body close, crying.

"Big brother! Wake up! Wake up, big brother!" she screamed.

"He's not waking up, brat," the pale-purple haired girl said coolly. "He's dead and, soon, you will be too." She pointed her gun at Nunnally who was still crying over her motionless brother's form, not paying attention to the fact that she was still in danger.

A gunshot rang out and the pale-purple haired girl screamed in pain as the bullet slammed into her arm, knocking her gun out of her hand. She whirled around to find that one of the Royal Guard had regained consciousness and was pointing his gun at her.

She scowled. "I took care of one. I'll just come back later to take care of the rest," she spat, pulled something from her pocket and throw it down. A cloud of smoke immediately filled the area, causing the fire alarms to go off and the sprinkler system to activate, pouring water down on the stunned still group of students. When the smoke cleared, the pale-purple haired girl was gone.

Shirley bolted to Nunnally's side, staring at her friend, and not-so-secret crush's, bloodstained body. She knelt down and curled an arm around Nunnally's shoulders as she stretched out her free hand to check Lelouch's pulse. She let out a sigh of relief when she felt it, however faint it was.

"He's still alive, Nunna," she whispered.

Nunnally whimpered. "He…He…" She trailed off and started sobbing.

"Somebody, get an ambulance here now!" Clovis shouted as he bolted across the floor, kneeling on Nunnally's other side, surprising Shirley. She recalled the pale-purple-haired girl's words about how there were three royals there instead of one and then her calling Nunnally 'princess' right before shooting at her.

 _Are Lulu and Nunna_ royalty _?_ She thought in disbelief.

"Nunnally?" Clovis said.

Nunnally's face turned toward Clovis, tears still streaming from behind her closed eyes. "Brother Clovis, Big Brother…he's…he's…"She broke off and started sobbing again and Clovis gingerly drew Nunnally into his arms. She buried her face into the prince's chest and continued to cry, one hand grabbing and clutching Lelouch's.

Shirley stared in utter shock, trying to comprehend what she was seeing, watching as Clovis attempted to soothe the distressed girl.

"N…Nunna, y…you and Lulu, you're royalty?" Shirley stammered out, though she knew it had to be true. The pale-purple-haired girl's words, Nunnally's reaction to Clovis, and Clovis's reaction and words to her confirmed it but she just still found it hard to believe.

Nunnally swallowed and nodded slowly, tightening her grip on her big brother's hand just as the paramedics arrived, quickly guiding a stretcher between them.

Shirley slowly, numbly, moved away as the paramedics came to Lelouch's side. She watched as they worked on stemming the blood flow and then lifted the black-haired Britannian onto the stretcher. She watched as they quickly guided Lelouch away with Clovis, holding Nunnally gently in his arms, darting after them, shouting orders at his Royal Guard, the rest of which had just regained consciousness, as he did so.

 _Lulu and Nunna are royalty. Why didn't they tell us?_ She thought.

She turned to find Milly, Rivalz, and Nina slowly making their way toward her. All three of them looked worried, though only Rivalz and Nina looked as surprised as Shirley felt, as did the rest of the student body. They were murmuring amongst each other, the same question was being passed around quite a bit.

"Are Lelouch and Nunnally royalty?"

Nina swallowed as she turned her gazes away from the pile of blood that lay where Lelouch had been shot. "I…hope that he's gonna be okay," she whispered.

"Me too but…was that girl right? I mean, she seemed to have a beef with the royal family and yet she shot at Nunnally," Rivalz asked.

Shirley nodded. "Nunna confirmed it when I asked her," she said softly.

Rivalz's eyes widened. "Whoa, that's big. Why didn't they tell us?"

"They felt that the fewer people who knew, the safer they would be," Milly said.

Shirley, Nina, and Rivalz turned to the Student Council President who was gazing at the bloodstain with a look of worry on her normally cheerful and mischievous face. "You knew?" Shirley said in shock.

Milly nodded. "I knew," she said. "My family was the one who supported Lelouch and Nunnally's mother until we fell from grace and came here after she was assassinated. I've known Lelouch and Nunnally since we were children. Lelouch asked me not to tell you about his heritage. He didn't want anyone to know since it might put them at risk."

"I…guess I can understand that," Shirley said. She turned toward the double doors and bit her lip, worrying for her crush.

By the time the remaining members of the student council returned to Ashford Academy, the rain had let up but the mood was still somber. Due to the events of the day, the students were allowed to go home as soon as they got back to the school. Milly had briefly contacted Sayoko as soon as they arrived, telling her about what happened

"I'm going to go check up on Lelouch," Milly decided as she watched a few of their classmates get picked up by their parents. "You coming with?"

"Do we even know which hospital he was taken too?" Rivalz asked.

"Most likely the Mercy General since that's the closest to the museum," Milly said. "We can ask when we get there. So?"

Shirley nodded. She wanted to see Lelouch, wanted to know if her friend was going to make it or not, and wanted to help comfort Nunnally if the worst case scenario came to pass. She found herself hoping that Lelouch would survive; she knew that Nunnally adored Lelouch just as much, if not more than, Lelouch did her and would be devastated if Lelouch died.

"I'll go with," Rivalz said.

"Me too," Nina said softly.

"All right then. Let's go," Milly said and led the way away from Ashford Academy and toward the hospital.

It was a good fifteen minute walk before they reached the hospital's emergency room and entered it. It was empty save for a member of Prince Clovis's Royal Guard standing next to the door and Nunnally, seated in a hospital-issued wheelchair, listening intently to the doctors that were talking by the desk. She had gotten a change of clothes and her face was still somber.

The Royal Guard straightened, eyes narrowing when he saw the four of them and Nunnally turned her face toward them. "Who's there?" she called and Shirley could hear the quiet worry and sadness in her voice.

"It's us, Nunnally," Milly said gently.

Nunnally's somber face brightened a little bit. "It's all right. They're Big Brother's friends. They can come in," she said, turning to the Royal Guard.

"Very well, Your Highness," the Royal Guard said and relaxed against the wall, his eyes fixed on the entrance to the emergency room while Shirley, Milly, Rivalz, and Nina made their way to Nunnally's side.

"I think it's going to take me some time to get used to being referred to by that again," Nunnally said softly.

"How's Lulu?" Shirley asked, taking a seat next to Nunnally while the others pulled up their own chairs to sit in front of the brown-haired girl.

"He's in surgery," Nunnally said sadly. "The doctors are doing all that they can but…I just can't help but worry that it won't be enough."

"Don't think like that, Nunna," Shirley said firmly. "Lulu will be fine." _I hope_. She didn't repeat that out loud, even if she felt the same as Nunnally.

"Yeah, he can be incredibly stubborn," Milly said, reaching out and taking Nunnally's hand in hers.

"Yeah, Big Brother can be stubborn," Nunnally said with a somberly amused smile before it faded and she bit her lip.

Shirley curled her arm around Nunnally's shoulder but said nothing. She didn't know what to say. She supposed she was still in shock at the news. Finding out one of her best friends was royalty, and knowing he was currently fighting for his life, was not how she pictured her day would end.

 _But who was that girl? And why did she do this?_ Another question entered Shirley's mind as she recalled that no one, except Milly, knew about Lelouch and Nunnally's heritage.

 _How did that girl know Lulu and Nunna were royalty?_

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: okay, I'm pretty satisfied with how the start of this story turned out (after rewriting it a couple of times) so I'm gonna leave it as is**

 **Lelouch: you had me shot?!**

 **Blaze: well, would you have rather I let Nunnally get shot?**

 **Lelouch: hell no**

 **Blaze: exactly**

 **Lelouch: Do you have notes for this story as well?**

 **Blaze: yes, I do**

 **Note One:** There will be many OCs in this story. Some of them are going to become major characters, two OCs and one group of OCs will be major antagonists and seven OCs are going to become major good characters. The remaining OCs that are introduced are going to be minor characters.

 **Note Two:** Only two characters from the games, mangas, and spinoffs will be included in this story, though I may include two more. One comes from _Code Geass: Oz the Reflection_ (She's a major character and a Britannian Princess in that) and the other two that I _may_ include also come from this story but I won't decide whether they will be used until after I finish reading _Oz the Reflection_ but, even if they are used, they won't make an appearance until Arc-III. The second is the main character from the game _Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion – Lost Colors_. Both of these characters may not be in character but I will try my best. Both of these characters' roles will not become very large, nor will they make an actual appearance, until late-Arc II and early-Arc III respectively. No other character from any of the spinoffs, mangas, or games will be included in this story.

 **Note Three:** In this story, the legal age in Britannia and all its controlled Areas to join the army is sixteen. Yes, it is not standard in the real world but this is an alternate fictional world with an alternate history so I've changed the minimum age by one year (it's really not that much, honestly). I will say more on the subject of military training when we get to chapter 4.

 **Note Four:** The main pairings for this story are officially Lelouch/Shirley and Suzaku/Euphemia with a few OC/OC and OC/Canon Character pairings scattered throughout.

 **Note Five:** This story is non-canon compliant. Unlike _Divergence,_ this story is not a rewrite of the series but, rather, its own story that will still take some events from canon and alter them while eliminating others and including many new, original events.

 **Lelouch: that it?**

 **Blaze: uhhh (looks through notes) I think so**

 **Lelouch: you forgot something, didn't you?**

 **Blaze: I don't _think_ I did but I probably did. Eh, if I remember, I'll include it in later chapters. Well, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	2. Recovery

**Eight people reviewed the first chapter? AWESOME! I'm so glad that people like this story, which is probably going to be my biggest and my longest _Code Geass_ fic ever (as it is now, the outline that I have planned has it at being 57 chapters and that's just the first three arcs of this four-arc story).**

 **Also, I will tell you this. There will be long chapters, anywhere from ten pages to twenty pages (seriously, one chapter I wrote was a total of 45 pages single-spaced long and I had to split it into three chapters as a result).**

 **Bakura: GET ON WITH IT! NO ONE CARES!**

 **Shut up, Bakura! And there's no need to shout. Ahem, anyway, thank you to _yuuram2fangirl, PiroWolfxL, Shadow-Shinobi666, Salvare, NightSkyWolf, Armaddon96, Shimmering-Sky,_ and _davycrockett100_ for reviewing the first chapter of this story. You are awesome.**

 **Here is the second chapter where we get a look into the perspective of that 'girl' from the first chapter, get a look into Milly's perspective, get a short little Lelouch/Shirley moment and, ultimately, find out just _what_ will happen to Lelouch and Nunnally now that their secret is out. And, now that I've spoiled this entire chapter (smirks), I hope you enjoy it and, as always, reviews are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _December 2, 2015_

 _Town of Hella, Area 5_

 _She remembered the day she got her power._

 _It was a cold, winter morning. Snow covered the ground of the village in which she and her guardian were staying. When B.B. had proven that he wasn't going to harm her and then proceeded to give her food, shelter, and clothes soon after he found her in that alley, she had decided that she owed him more than she could ever repay. He had saved her life since she was sure that she would have died had she remained in that alley and then took care of her so she decided to stay with him. Besides, she didn't have any family to return to anyway._

 _B.B. was cooking dinner while she helped, chopping up vegetables to put into the stew that B.B. was creating. Both of them worked quietly, efficiently, the silence only disrupted by her faint humming. She remembered hearing her mother hum when she cooked, back before the fire, before a fight between Britannia and a group of terrorists destroyed her home._

 _Her jaw clenched and she nearly severed a finger when she brought the knife down too hard._

 _"Be careful. You don't want to chop off any of your fingers," B.B. scolded gently._

 _"Sorry," she said, focusing her attention on the cutting of the vegetables._

 _"What's the matter?" B.B. asked gently as he accepted the carrots she had just finished chopping and put them into the stew._

 _"Nothing, just…thinking."_

 _"Your parents?" B.B. always seemed to know what she was thinking about but insisted that he couldn't read her mind._

 _"You're just easy to read," he had said._

 _"Yeah…" she murmured, cutting off the ends of the celery stalk and starting to chop it into small pieces. "I miss 'em and it's just not fair."_

 _"Life rarely is."_

 _"I know but still! They were good people. Why did Britannia have to kill them?!"_

 _B.B. paused in his stirring and turned, puzzled amber eyes fixed on her. "Britannia was behind your parents' deaths?" he asked, since she never told him of that particular piece of information. That was primarily because she didn't trust him with it since he was Britannian himself._

 _She nodded shortly, since there was no use in denying it now._

 _B.B. returned his attention to the stew, accepting the celery that she finished dicing and tossing them in. "Tell me, Tara, do you want to avenge your parents' deaths?" he asked as the silence stretched on for several minutes._

 _Tara paused as she placed the radish she was about to cut up on the cutting board and turned toward the golden-blonde haired young man. "Of course I do. They were innocent and yet they died for no reason," she said._

 _"Do you know who's responsible for their deaths?"_

 _"Well…no…but…"_

 _"Then how do you suppose you're going to avenge them if you don't know who you're going against?"_

 _"I don't know!" Tara gripped the knife tightly, her knuckles turning white and tears appearing in her eyes. "But I've gotta do something! I can't…Britannia has to be behind it."_

 _"Why do you say that?"_

 _Tara returned her attention to her cutting board, starting to chop the radish. "They were the ones that started the fight in my village when my parents were killed," she said. "They attacked first and the terrorists only retaliated."_

 _"Put those in a bowl of water when you're done. And that doesn't narrow down the list of suspects, Tara," B.B. said, stirring the stew and turning down the heat a bit. "Britannia is a large place and there are billions of people that are Britannian, myself included. Are we all to blame for what happened to your parents?"_

 _"No…" Tara murmured, fetching a bowl from the cabinet and filling it with water before she placed the sliced radishes in the bowl. "B…But someone has to be, right?"_

 _"That's true. The person behind the attack on your village is the one responsible. It makes sense, right?"_

 _Tara's hands gripped into fists. "I don't know who ordered that attack, only that they're in the military," she said quietly._

 _"Then go straight for the heart," B.B. said, turning around to face her with a calm expression on his face after he shut the stove off. "Take out the head of a snake and the body will die."_

 _"The head? You mean the Emperor himself?" Tara doubted she would ever get close enough to the Emperor to actually kill him._

 _"It isn't just the Emperor who governs his country."_

 _"His children," Tara murmured because she knew that the children of Charles zi Britannia often held very high positions of power; Cornelia li Britannia, for example, was the Chief General of the Holy Britannian Army while Schneizel el Britannia was the Prime Minister. There were also the children who led divisions in the army or actually governed one of the Areas under the Emperor's control._

 _"Then that's who I'll go after," Tara decided. "I'll take out his children and then go for him."_

 _"My, my, you certainly are an ambitious young lady," B.B. said amused, folding his arms across his chest and raising an eyebrow. "Just what makes you think you'll be able to do such a thing?"_

 _"I gotta try, for my parents," Tara said firmly. She gazed out the window and added, "It's not like I have anything to lose."_

 _B.B. hummed, uncrossing his arms and closing the distance between them. He placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Perhaps I can help you in your endeavor."_

 _Tara's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"_

 _"I can help you. I propose a contract. I will grant you a power that will allow you to fulfill your deepest desire and, in turn, you will grant me my wish," B.B. murmured, releasing her shoulder and holding out a hand. "Be warned, though, this power, a Power of the Kings, will separate you from the rest of mankind. You will live a life of solitude, isolated from the rest of mankind."_

 _"I don't care," Tara said. "If this power will let me avenge my parents then I'll do it." She took his hand and said, "I accept the terms of the contract."_

 **. . .**

 **2**

 **Recovery**

 _March 2, 2016_

 _Saitama Ghetto, Area 11_

Tara yawned as she meandered her way through the desolate ghetto that lay on the edge of the Tokyo Settlement, her bandaged hand being used to shield the sun. After removing her disguise, she had gone to the hospital to get her injury seen to; thankfully, they seemed to buy her 'I got attacked and just barely got away' story.

All around her, she could see the harsh life that the people of the ghettos were forced to live. Their clothing were in poor condition, their bodies suggested that they hadn't eaten in days, and they avoided attracting attention. Britannians weren't especially nice to Elevens, Tara knew; in fact, they were treated rather cruelly as if they were inferior, no better than animals.

 _The strong devour the weak._ That was one of the core principals of Britannia and, due to being on the losing side of what history books would call the bloodiest war Britannia had ever engaged in, the Elevens were seen as weak.

Tara had been living in Area 5 when Britannia invaded Area 11, then known as Japan, for its Sakuradite resources. She had only been ten years old at the time but she had seen enough conflict that she understood exactly what Area 11 was going through. She had been present when Britannia rooted out and destroyed a terrorist cell that lived in the village she had grown up in before leveling the entire village.

She still remembered the fire that engulfed her house and killed her parents. It was only because she hadn't been home that she hadn't been caught in the blaze. After that, she had run off and started hiding wherever she could, afraid that the Britannians would track her down and eliminate her. She was being irrational at the time, it wasn't as if the Britannians cared about a skinny ten-year-old girl, but fear did strange things to one's sense.

Gazing up at the cloudless blue sky above her head, Tara let a small smile cross her lips as she recalled just what happened the day before. She had finally gotten the chance to test her power, her _Geass_ was what B.B. called it, out and had succeeded in taking out a member of Imperial Family. It wasn't exactly the one that she was originally hoping to take out, and the prince was supposed to be dead, but still. It was an accomplishment.

Tara wondered just how B.B. would react to learning that two members of the Imperial Family who were supposed to be dead were actually alive and well—well, one now—but pushed the thought away. B.B. would probably just be happy, though he probably would never show it, that he had one less member of the Imperial Family to worry about.

Tara did wonder why B.B. chose her though. Why did he save her in that alley six years ago? Why did he take care of her, give her clothes to wear and food to eat? Why did he decide to give her a Geass?

 _You know what, I don't care. If he can help me avenge my parents then it doesn't matter. It's not as if he hurt me at all. He treated me a hell of a lot better than anyone else that saw me on the streets six years ago. Besides, I owe him my life,_ Tara thought.

She neared the two-story house near the edge of the ghettos and entered it, making her way up the staircase, noting that B.B. had cleaned the apartment again. She had gotten used to B.B.'s OCD habits, mostly, but she couldn't help but sigh. _He must have gotten bored,_ she thought as she pushed open the door to the upstairs study.

"You're back," B.B. noted from where he was typing on his laptop, his amber eyes turning toward her and then back at the computer screen. "How'd it go?"

"Went off without a hitch," Tara chirped as she threw herself into an armchair and relaxed. "Well, mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Yeah. You know those two royals that were thought to have died during the invasion six years ago? The vi Britannia siblings?"

"Yeah."

"Turns out they survived. I ran across them when I was going after Clovis," Tara said.

B.B. paused in his work and turned to face Tara, a look of surprise on his face. "Really?" he said. "That's a surprise. I wasn't expecting them to still be alive."

"Well, Nunnally's still alive anyway. I took out her brother. I was aiming at her though but he jumped in the way." She huffed. "Don't know why though. I would've thought that he would've saved his own skin."

"Not everyone is like that, even among the Britannians," B.B. said, his eyes taking on a faraway look. "I would have done the same thing had it been my niece that was in danger."

"You have a niece?"

"Had. She died…a long time ago. So what happened next?" he said, quickly changing the subject. He never really spoke about his past and Tara would be lucky if she got a small bit of information about it.

"A member of Clovis's Royal Guard regained consciousness and shot my hand before I could kill the princess and I got the hell outta there," Tara said, holding up her bandaged hand. "But, at least I got one member of the Imperial Family out of the way…I think."

"You think?"

Tara rubbed the back of her neck with her uninjured hand. "Well, I haven't exactly had the chance to confirm it," she admitted.

"It might be best if you lay low for a while," B.B. said thoughtfully. "But you should confirm whether the target was taken out or not, though I advise against finishing the job if the prince survived. To be honest, I wasn't expecting you to get as far as you had."

"The power you gave me is awesome! And took 'em completely by surprise," Tara admitted, grinning, brushing a few strands of aqua-blue hair out of her face. "Shame I couldn't get all three of 'em though."

B.B. snorted. "Are you seriously dissatisfied that you couldn't take out all three of them?"

"Well, not really, but I could've done it," Tara said.

"You need to work on that overconfidence of yours, dear Tara. It's going to get you killed one of these days."

"And you don't want me to die?" Tara asked.

"Of course not," B.B. said, his eyes returning to the computer screen. "Allies who share a similar goal to me are hard to come by, for one, and you still have to fulfill your end of our contract, for another."

"What is your wish anyway?" Tara asked. She had asked that question ever since he had given her Geass but, every time, he would always change the subject or just not answer her.

This time, he did the former. "I've found some interesting information about Clovis. It's classified so not much is known about it but it might be worth looking into," he said.

Narrowing her eyes at the change of subject, Tara decided to drop it as usual and said, "Why?"

"Any information on the Imperial Family that we find may prove useful."

"And if not?"

"No harm done in just searching for information. Besides, all information can be useful if used properly."

 **. . .**

 _March 3, 2016_

 _Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy_

Milly walked into the Student Council Meeting Room, carrying a stack of folders in her hands, trying not to think about the missing member of the group. Everyone was gathered, except for their honorary member Nunnally who, as soon as school let out of the day, had Sayoko take her to the hospital. The last news that they had received was that Lelouch was out of surgery and was going to make a full recovery, though wouldn't be leaving the hospital yet, which everyone was relieved to hear.

"Hey everyone," Milly greeted them with a smile as she plopped the large stack of folders on the table, causing the stack to topple over and cover the table in papers. "Now, I suggest we get this over and done with as soon as possible so that we can head over to the hospital and see Lelouch."

"What do we need to do?" Shirley asked.

"We're not balancing the budget again, are we?" Rivalz asked.

"No, that's this Friday," Milly said and gestured to the folders, adding, "these are actually petitions from all the clubs for what to include in the upcoming school festival. One pile will be for ideas that are denied, another for approved, and another for undecided. All right, let's get to work."

They worked in silence for several long minutes, scanning the contents of each petition and talking about them with each other.

"I don't think having a dunk tank with the tank filled with snakes instead of water is a good idea," Rivalz said, eyeing the petition. "Why would someone come up with such an idea?"

"Who would put snakes in a tank?" Shirley said.

"People are weird," Rivalz said with a shrug. "I'm against this one."

"Same," Nina said softly, looking up from the petition she was scanning.

"Same here. All right, goes into the denied pile then," Milly said and took the petition from Rivalz before placing it on the denied pile. She held up the one she was holding in her hand. "I like this one. It's from the Art Club. They suggested a booth where people can have their faces painted and get pictures with different backgrounds that they say were inspired by the museum." Even if the museum visit had ended in what had almost been a tragedy, the Art Club members who had gone had still been inspired by what they saw.

What happened at the museum was still on everyone's minds, Milly knew, but she also knew that when she made the announcement to the entire school that Lelouch was going to make a full recovery, it had put them at ease. Granted, now that Lelouch's identity as a prince was ousted, everyone had a number of questions. Thankfully, Milly didn't answer any of them, making it seem as if she had been just as shocked by the news as everyone who was part of the field trip was. The only ones who knew she was lying were the rest of the Student Council.

The news had spread throughout the school like a wildfire as soon as Monday came around before Milly had a chance to stop the spread and now all of Ashford Academy knew that Lelouch and Nunnally were royalty. Milly wasn't exactly happy about that and knew that Lelouch would be even less happy about it but there was nothing she could do about it. She was honestly surprised the news hadn't leaked to the media yet but, thankfully, she had done something about that by insisting that no one breathe a word of what they learned in the museum to the media, stating that it would put Lelouch and Nunnally in danger. Due to how popular they were with the school body, they hadn't said a word to the media yet and Milly was grateful.

"I'll agree with that one," Shirley said.

"Me too. It sounds like it would be fun," Nina said quietly.

Rivalz nodded in agreement.

"All right, it's unanimous then," Milly said and placed the petition on the approved pile before going back to the others.

She had to wonder of just what would happen now. She had no doubt in her mind that Pendragon had already been contacted. That was why Lelouch had done everything he could to avoid being seen by Clovis whenever they were in the same vicinity of each other; he knew that Clovis would tell Pendragon and he feared that they would be dragged back into the folds of the Imperial Family as a result.

He was mostly afraid of him and Nunnally, especially Nunnally, being used as tools by the Emperor if they weren't killed for not returning to the Imperial Family after the Invasion of Area 11 ended.

Milly smiled sadly to herself, knowing that things were going to change around there, not just for Lelouch and Nunnally but for the Student Council as well. All members of the Student Council had become close friends in the years since they had met and having one member and one honorary member leaving for what could possibly be forever was something that Milly knew would take them time to come to terms with.

Especially Shirley. Milly was sure that everyone, but Lelouch, knew of Shirley's strong crush on the amethyst-eyed prince. Milly teased Shirley about it every chance that she got, not to be mean but because she was Shirley's friends and that's what friends did. Besides, it was rather amusing to see just how clueless Lelouch was to Shirley's affections. She knew that Shirley always got extremely shy and flustered around Lelouch whenever she attempted to approach him with her feelings, or even simply ask him on a date. Milly had also tried to help convince Shirley to just take the plunge and ask Lelouch out but she always backed out at the last instant.

And now she may, very well, lose her chance, either because Lelouch would be forced to become a prince again or...

Milly didn't even want to think of what else could happen to her friend. Lelouch and Nunnally were in a very precarious position at the moment due to that pale-purple haired girl's attack and Clovis discovering that they were still alive. She only hoped that Lelouch could find some way to keep himself and Nunnally safe and alive.

"Okay, here's the last petition," Rivalz said, holding up a piece of paper. "This one's for a Bake Sale, from the Baking Club naturally."

"Ohh, that sounds cool," Milly said and took the petition from Rivalz, scanning it. "Oh, and they even included the prices they're gonna include for each item. Reasonable and we'll get a percentage of the profit. It's got my stamp of approval. What do you guys think?"

"The money will definitely help and a lot of the bakers are really good. Okay, I'll approve it," Shirley said and Nina and Rivalz nodded in agreement.

"Then it's approved," Milly said and placed the paper on the approved stack. "Well, looks like we got through 'em pretty quickly. Let's get these into folders so we don't lose 'em and then head over to the hospital."

Shirley gathered the denied petitions in a neat pile and placed them in one of the folders while Milly did the same with the other pile. She then accepted the folder Shirley handed her and tucked them under her arm. "I'm just gonna run these to my grandfather so they won't get lost. I'll meet you at the gates," she said and left the meeting room.

 **. . .**

 _March 4, 2016_

 _Mercy General Hospital, Tokyo Settlement_

Prince Schneizel el Britannia had been in shock when he had been contacted by Clovis and informed of the survival of the vi Britannia siblings. Schneizel has always been close to the vi Britannia siblings; Nunnally was a sweetheart and Lelouch had been incredibly clever and an intelligent, up-and-coming strategist. They always used to play a few games of chess together whenever Schneizel would visit the Aries Villa and, while Lelouch never won, he seemed to get better with each passing day.

Lelouch and Nunnally were among the few of his half-siblings that Schneizel genuinely cared about, even if he would never admit it out loud.

He had been upset when the news of Lelouch and Nunnally's 'deaths' had reached his ears but, due to considerably amounts of practice, he never let it show. This was also because he was in the middle of negotiations with one of the states of the EU when the news had reached him and couldn't afford to let his mask slip, not when they had just entered a rather delicate portion of the negotiations.

He did allow himself some time to grieve for his lost siblings but not much because his duties meant that he had a lot to do. He had to come to terms with and let go of what happened in order to focus on keeping the country running smoothly.

Over the last six years since then, it seemed that his duties were increasing. The Emperor was putting a lot of his own duties on Schneizel and was distancing himself. Schneizel held a considerable amount of influence in the political world and was probably the only one in the world who could sway the Emperor's decisions when necessary.

It was for that very reason that Schneizel was actually able to convince the Emperor to not do anything drastic once he had informed him of the survival of the wayward, reckless Eleventh Prince and his sister. As soon as Clovis's news had reached Schneizel's ears, he knew that it was only a matter of time before everyone found out and decided to inform the Emperor personally, as soon as he got his surprise under control. When he did, the Emperor hadn't showed any emotion, though he did muse out loud about what he should do with them. Schneizel had been quick to inform him that Lelouch could still be useful, knowing full well that being of use to the Emperor was what ensured one's survival, especially if they were a member of the Imperial Family.

The Emperor had agreed and, after some more fast talking, they came to an agreement that the Emperor approved of and would ensure Lelouch and Nunnally's continued survival.

It also helped Schneizel out as well.

It was no secret that Schneizel was the one likely to take the throne after his father, despite not being the Crown Prince. And it was also no secret that Schneizel was vying for the throne.

And he would rather have Lelouch as an ally than as an enemy.

As soon as the decision had been made, Schneizel traveled to Area 11 to deliver the news to Lelouch personally. He was now in a private car with tinted windows that was currently driving down the streets of the Tokyo Settlement toward the hospital. His gaze fixed on the buildings that flew past, he pondered just how to approach his younger half-brother after six years, and if Lelouch had changed at all since they last saw each other.

The car came to a stop in front of the hospital and his assistant, Kanon, opened the door. Schneizel stepped out, smoothing his white overcoat. "I do not know how long I'll be. I'll call when I'm ready to leave," he said to his assistant.

"Yes, Your Highness," Kanon said with a bow.

Schneizel calmly walked into the hospital, cold light-purple eyes scanning the area. From what he had been told when he arrived in the Area, Lelouch had been transported out of the emergency room to a private recovery room in a private ward that was for important officials to avoid the media. Thankfully, news of Lelouch's heritage hadn't spread beyond the students of Ashford Academy, according to Clovis. He hadn't made any announcements himself, stating he was going to wait until Lelouch recovered.

After getting directions to Lelouch's room, Schneizel made his way toward it. When he reached it, the doctor was just leaving. As soon as she caught sight of Schneizel, she bowed. "Your Highness," she said.

"How is he?" Schneizel asked calmly.

"He's doing well, Your Highness. He's going to make a full recovery, though I have advised him that he take it easy for a least a couple of weeks," the doctor said.

Schneizel nodded and made his way into the private recovery room, taking in the sight of his younger half-brother.

Lelouch had grown since Schneizel last saw him, though he still had a rather willowy form that suggested he didn't do much physical activity. He was pale and looked tired but, otherwise, he seemed fine. Though he didn't look that surprised to see Schneizel, he did raise an eyebrow.

"You got here a lot sooner than I thought you would," Lelouch said.

"I set out as soon as I finished informing Father about your survival," Schneizel said, walking over to the chair next to the medical bed and sitting down gracefully.

"So I'm assuming you're here to drag me and Nunnally back to Pendragon."

"As soon as you are medically cleared to leave, yes," Schneizel said. "But I've spoken to Father on yours and Nunnally's behalf."

"Oh?"

"Yes, we've come to an agreement. For Nunnally, she has a choice. She can choose to remain at Pendragon or return here to Area 11 and continue her schooling at Ashford Academy. I managed to convince him to do that for her at least."

"And me?"

"Not only does Father want to speak to you when you return to Pendragon but you also have a choice, though your choice is more of where than what. Father wants you to prove that you are useful to him; therefore, he has insisted that you enlist in the military as soon as you are medically cleared. However, you will get to choose whether to enlist in Pendragon or here in Area 11."

Lelouch's brow furrowed in thought. "I see," he murmured.

Schneizel studied his younger half-brother. He could tell that Lelouch wasn't too happy, though he suspected it wasn't so much the decision as being forced to return to Pendragon, and to the father that Schneizel knew he hated.

He could still remember the day that Lelouch had left the Emperor's presence six years ago, the sheer anger and hate that glowed in his eyes was strong and Schneizel doubted that it had ebbed at all over the years.

"You hate this, don't you? You hate us and your life as a prince. That's why you chose to hide rather than rejoin the royal family, yes?"

Lelouch blinked and then sighed. "I don't hate you, Cornelia, or Euphie," he admitted. "Or any of our other siblings. Granted, I can't _stand_ the majority of them but I don't hate them."

Schneizel nodded. "But you hate the Emperor," he said and his lips quirked a bit when he saw Lelouch start in surprise as if he didn't realize that he was that transparent when it came to his feelings for the Emperor. But his reaction told Schneizel that he was right, not that he doubted it.

"Don't be so surprised, Lelouch," he said. "It's not exactly hard to figure out that you hate our father. I saw the look in your eyes when you left Father's presence after he announced yours and Nunnally's exile and I doubt those feelings have gone away since then."

He pursed his lips together as he paused, thinking about how to gain Lelouch as an ally. "A part of me feels the same way," he said finally, deciding to go with relating to his younger half-brother. "I suppose hate is the wrong word, though, but I know that he has been getting extremely distant lately. He has been delegating more and more of his duties to me and the rest of our siblings, deeming a lot of his duties and the problems that are arising in the Empire as mundane."

"Why are you telling me this?" Lelouch asked confused.

Schneizel didn't answer. Instead, he said, "Lelouch, you do know that if you had come to me after your mother was killed, I would have helped you, right?"

Lelouch's lips pressed together in thought. "I suppose so," he said.

"Perhaps we can help each other now," Schneizel said, lacing his fingers together as he locked his light-purple eyes on Lelouch's amethyst orbs.

"Help each other how?"

"We can work together to fulfill both of our ambitions," Schneizel said, knowing full well that Lelouch could hold a grudge and likely sought the truth behind his mother's murder as well as revenge.

Lelouch studied him intently. "I have a feeling you know what I want but what do you want?" he asked.

A small enigmatic smile crossed Schneizel's lips. _Surely you should already know the answer to that,_ he thought. "It should not be that hard to figure out," he said.

Understanding dawned on Lelouch's face and then he adopted a thinking expression, his brow furrowed before a cool smirk crossed his lips as if he had come to a decision in his mind. He chuckled softly and Schneizel leaned back in his seat.

"So do we have an alliance?" he asked.

Lelouch's amethyst orbs landed on Schneizel, that cool smirk still on his lips. "We do," he said.

Schneizel's lips quirked a bit but he adopted an expressionless mask as he nodded. "I'll be staying in Area 11 until you are cleared to leave. I suspect it will not be long," he said.

Lelouch, his eyes still thoughtful, nodded and Schneizel walked out of the recovery room. As he walked, he found himself wondering if Cornelia had gotten his message; he was sure that she and Euphie were both going to be thrilled.

 **. . .**

Shirley hovered outside the door leading into the private recovery room where her friend and crush was resting. She glared over her shoulder at Milly who was standing nearby with Rivalz, Nina, and Nunnally by her. Milly had decided that Shirley was to visit Lelouch first out of all of them. The orangette supposed she should be grateful that Milly didn't push her into the room.

She turned back to the door, her hands turning over the silver, rectangular-shaped locket she held in her hands. Swallowing her nervousness, she made her way into the room, wondering why she was so nervous to speak with her friend; she has never been this nervous before. Maybe it was because Lelouch was royalty.

Lelouch was seated up on the hospital bed, looking bored out of his mind, but he smiled when he saw Shirley, causing her heart to flutter and her cheeks to redden. "Hello Shirley," Lelouch greeted her.

"Um, hi, um, Your Highness…" Shirley said, managing to calm her nerves, though that smile was making butterflies flutter in her stomach.

"You don't have to call me that, Shirley. You're my friend so you can call me whatever you want."

"Oh, uh, all right, Lulu," she said, starting to relax and swallow her nervousness and she moved over to stand by Lelouch's bed. "I'm so glad you're all right. When you..." She trailed off, not wanting to think about what happened and quickly changed the subject. "So, um, what's going to happen now? Are you leaving?" She tried to keep the sadness out of her voice but it must have manifested because Lelouch's beautiful amethyst eyes softened.

"Unfortunately, yeah, as soon as I'm medically cleared to leave," Lelouch said.

Shirley chewed on her lower lip and then leaned forward and gave Lelouch a quick hug. "I'm gonna miss you," she said, blushing as she stepped back. She then remembered what she had brought with her. "Oh, I almost forgot." She held out the locket.

Lelouch blinked but took the locket. "What's this?" he asked.

"Well, I was, um, gonna wait until your birthday to give it to you but, since we might not see each other again, I thought that I might as well," Shirley said shyly.

Lelouch clicked the locket open and then smiled at the picture Shirley had placed in it. Since she didn't know if she was going to see her friend again, she had decided on placing a photo of the entire student council and Nunnally in it. She hoped that if Lelouch kept the locket then he would never forget them.

"Thank you, Shirley," he said, closing the locket and then draping the silver chain around his neck.

"You're welcome, Lulu," Shirley said softly. "I chose that picture so that you won't forget us."

"You're my friends and I'll never forget about you, any of you, Shirley. I promise."

Shirley smiled.

"Hey, Shirley, are you done taking the plunge? There are others who want to see Lelouch too," Milly said, poking her head into the room.

Shirley's cheeks reddened. "Madam President!" She exclaimed while Lelouch just blinked in confusion.

"Lelouch seems as clueless as ever so I'm gonna assume you didn't," Milly said, stepping into the room.

Still blushing, Shirley uttered a quick goodbye and bolted out of the recovery room. She rejoined Nunnally, Rivalz, and Nina and sat down on the bench beside Nina.

"You okay, Shirley?" Nunnally asked, tilting her head to the side in concern. "You came out of there pretty quickly."

"Oh, I'm fine, just fine. Milly's just being…well…Milly," Shirley said.

"Ah." Nunnally nodded in understanding and then smiled sadly. "I'm gonna miss you, Shirley."

Shirley, the redness in her cheeks leaving, gently took her hand in hers. "So am I," she said softly.

 **. . .**

"So what's gonna happen to you?" Milly asked seriously as she took a seat beside Lelouch's bedside.

Lelouch's thoughts went to the Emperor's decision regarding him and Nunnally as well as his new alliance with Schneizel. Joining the military was not what he had expected to be told to do but he figured that was one way for him to be 'useful'. He also knew that it would mean that he would be under the thumb of the man that he hated with every fiber of his being. He grounded his teeth together at the thought of being under the Emperor's thumb again but pushed the thought away because he knew, in order to keep Nunnally safe, he would have to bow his head to the Emperor.

No matter how much he hated the very _thought_ of doing that.

"Schneizel said that the Emperor's giving us a choice," Lelouch said. "Nunnally will get to choose whether to remain in Pendragon or finish her schooling at Ashford Academy. I have to make myself useful and join the military but I get to choose whether to enlist at Pendragon or here once I'm medically cleared to enlist."

"You have to join the military?" Milly repeated.

Lelouch nodded. No matter how much he hated the Emperor's decision for him, he knew that he could make it work. The more he thought about rejoining the Imperial Family, the more he realized that he actually could make it work. Back when Japan had been invaded, he made a promise to his first, and best, friend Suzaku that he would destroy Britannia and he could still do that.

But, this time, he would work to destroy Britannia… _from within._

The fact that he had Schneizel as an ally would definitely help; it was always better to have Schneizel as an ally than as an enemy, especially considering the amount of influence and power the Second Prince had.

"It's gonna be tough for you," Milly noted. "Especially since you lack stamina."

"Thanks for the reminder," Lelouch said dryly.

Milly giggled and then her eyes went to the locket. "Oh? Did Shirley give that to you?" she asked, eyes twinkling with mischief. "A little love token, eh?"

Lelouch turned the locket over between his fingers, cheeks reddening at the insinuation behind Milly's words. He wasn't exactly stupid and knew an insinuation when he heard one, even if he still didn't get why Shirley acted flustered around him sometimes. "Nothing like that, Milly," he said. "She gave it to me as a reminder. She doesn't want me to forget you guys, not I ever would."

Milly blinked sympathetically, all traces of mischief gone to be replaced by somberness. She stretched out a hand and placed it on Lelouch's. "We'll still be here, ready to greet you _when_ you come back because we _will_ see you again," she said.

Lelouch smiled, glad that he had such good friends. He would go wherever Nunnally went, naturally, but if Nunnally chose to remain in Pendragon then Lelouch would try to ensure that both of them could visit Milly and the others. "If anything, Nunnally and I'll come and visit when we can," he said.

"That'll have to do," Milly said. She paused and then pouted. "You leaving means I gotta find a new Vice President for the Student Council, for one, and I just thought of the _perfect_ theme for the annual cross-dressing ball, for another. Now I won't be able to get anymore pictures of you in a dress since _someone_ found the last ones I took and burned them." She turned to look at Lelouch with a knowing gleam in her eyes.

He adopted an innocent 'why are you looking at me?' look, his lips quirking slightly.

 _I'm going to miss this,_ he thought somberly.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: and that was the second chapter. Now we're moving on to Pendragon, which is one chapter long, and then on to military training where I get to bring in my second favorite _Code Geass_ character as well as introduce three of the seven important "good" OC characters but that's then and this is now**

 **Bakura: aren't you going to be reworking the meeting between Lelouch and Charles?**

 **Blaze: possibly but probably not without making...**

 **- _B_ _oom-_**

 **Blaze: ...that happen in the story itself**

 **Suzaku: did Lelouch just blow up Charles? How the hell?**

 **Blaze: he has his ways**

 **Kallen: he raided Blaze's Weapons Building in her City-Closet**

 **Suzaku: Weapons Building? On second thought, I don't wanna know**

 **Kallen: so any notes for this chapter?**

 **Blaze: none that I can think of. I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	3. Homecoming

**(Stares at review count for the last chapter)**

 **Bakura: oh boy (plugs ears)**

 **I GOT 15 REVIEWS ON ONE CHAPTER! HELL YEAH!**

 **Lelouch: I think I'm deaf now**

 **Suzaku: agreed**

 **What? I never expected to get that many reviews on one chapter. Oh my goodness, you guys are _awesome!_**

 **Thank you to _PiroWolfxL, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Kallen, julini, Shadowstalk, ewertondragon, HufflepuffKat, HalFF, yuuram2fangirl, purpleswans, agarfinkel, Shadow-Shinobi666, Stargaze Valintime, davycrockett100,_ and _Shimmer-Sky_ for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome!**

 **Bakura: you already said that, moron**

 **Oh shut up, Bakura. Anyway, review reply for a guest reviewer since I can't PM them.**

 _ **Kallen: I'm glad you liked it and, don't worry, if I'm determined to finish a story and already know how it will end (and, with this story, I am and I do), then I**_ **will** ** _finish it. It may take me a few months, it may take me a few years but I_ will _finish it._**

 **And, now that that's done, here is the Pendragon episode. Without the author's notes, it's a little over 8,000 words so that's good. There's also a note at the end that's important.**

 **I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _August 17, 2010_

 _Li Britannia Estate, Pendragon_

 _Princess Euphemia li Britannia wandered around the gardens, smiling as she breathed in the smell of the flowers as well as the scent of rain on the air. The sky was overcast, indicating that it was likely going to start raining soon but the pink-haired princess decided she wanted to enjoy being outside for just a little while longer. The young eight-, almost nine-year-old wandered past a small artificial stream in the garden and smiled sadly at it._

 _Less than a year had gone by since she had been forced to watch her favorite half-brother Lelouch and half-sister Nunnally leave Pendragon and she still missed them. She had come to terms with what happened, somewhat, but that didn't mean she didn't miss them._

 _She giggled to herself as she recalled the memory of when Lelouch had been running from her and Nunnally when he was eight, she was seven, and Nunnally was five. They had been chasing him because they wanted to put flowers in his hair but he refused and ended up tripping and falling into the stream._

 _"Lady Marianne laughed too," she murmured, smiling sadly and wandering past the stream and toward where a clump of violets were growing. She bent down and gently plucked one of the flowers, sniffing it as a crack of lightning illuminated the sky followed by a loud clap of thunder. Then she felt a few raindrops land on her nose and she looked up as more raindrops fell._

 _"Your Highness, please come inside," one of the maids of the li Britannia Estate called._

 _Euphemia pouted. She didn't want to leave yet and it wasn't as if a little rain would hurt her. "Can I stay out for five more minutes? Please?" she asked pleadingly._

 _"Your mother won't be happy if you get sick, Your Highness," the maid called. "Besides, Princess Cornelia's here."_

 _"Nellie!" Euphemia bolted for the doors leading out of the gardens. She hasn't seen her sister in months and missed her. A part of her wondered just why Cornelia was back so soon but she was mostly just happy that her big sister was back._

 _"Where is she?" she asked once she was inside and the maid was gently drying her off._

 _"She wants to talk to you. She's in her room, Your Highness," the maid said._

 _"Okay, thanks," Euphemia said brightly and darted toward the stairs._

 _She entered her sister's room without knocking to find Cornelia seated on her bed, holding a picture in her hands. Euphemia was about to launch herself at Cornelia when she noticed that her big sister…was crying?_

 _The pink-haired princess stopped next to the bed, frowning. "Nellie? Is something wrong?" she asked._

 _Cornelia turned to Euphemia and wiped the tears from her eyes, one hand putting the picture she was holding back on the side table. Euphemia recognized the picture of her, her sister, Lelouch, and Nunnally in the gardens of Aries Villa._

" _Euphie," Cornelia said softly. "I've got some bad news."_

" _What is it, Nellie?" Euphemia asked as she took a seat on the bed beside Cornelia._

" _It's about Lelouch and Nunnally," Cornelia said._

" _What about them?"_

 _Cornelia turned to gaze at the ground, looking uncertain, which surprised the pink-haired princess. She had never seen her big sister look uncertain like that. It was almost as if she didn't want to tell her._

 _Even at almost nine years old, Euphemia knew that something was wrong. "What about them?" she asked again._

 _Cornelia closed her eyes and then turned to Euphemia. "I'm sorry, Euphie," she said softly. "But they're…they're…gone…"_

 _Euphemia's eyes widened. "W…What?"_

 _"They…didn't survive the invasion of Japan," Cornelia said, tears starting to fall from behind closed eyelids._

 _Euphemia's eyes widened in horror and one hand went to mouth as she let out a little gasp. "T…They're…dead?" she asked._

 _Cornelia said nothing but gently drew Euphemia into her arms as the pink-haired princess burst into tears, burying her face into her big sister's chest as she cried for the loss of her beloved half-siblings._

 **. . .**

 **3**

 **Homecoming**

 _March 5, 2016_

 _Li Britannia Estate, Pendragon_

Cornelia li Britannia walked into the silence of her estate. Her mother wasn't home but she knew that her little sister Euphie had to be around there somewhere. Deciding to just send a maid to find her, she made her way into her study. She supposed she was still in shock at the news that Schneizel had given her the day before, news of the survival of two of her dear half-siblings.

Lelouch and Nunnally were _alive_.

As soon as she had heard the news when her conflict in the Middle East drifted into a stalemate and she had time to check her messages late the night before, she had immediately taken a few days leave. With both sides at a stalemate, it wasn't as if she would be missing much and if the fighting did start up again, Cornelia trusted Darlton to handle things in her absence. She wasn't expecting the fighting to start up again though, otherwise she would have stayed.

She smiled to herself as she thought about her two younger half-siblings. She had always cared deeply for Lelouch and Nunnally, just as she did for Euphie. She had been the head of Lady Marianne's Royal Guard and that meant that she and Euphie spent quite a bit of their time at the Aries Villa. She watched them grow up and remembered when Nunnally and Euphie would fight over who would get to marry Lelouch someday. She also recalled the days when Nunnally and Euphie would chase Lelouch around the gardens, trying to put flowers in his hair while he, desperately, tried to get out of it.

They had been so close and then Lady Marianne's assassination came and everything changed.

The door opened to the study and Euphie poked her head into it. "Hey, Sister. You wanted to see me?" she said.

Cornelia smiled. "Come in, Euphie. I have good news," she said.

"What good news?" Euphie asked as she made her way into the room, her long pink hair flowing over her shoulder.

Cornelia gestured to the armchair across from her and Euphie sat down, still studying her curiously. "Schneizel just contacted me and told me some surprising news. Lelouch and Nunnally are alive," she said.

Euphie's eyes went wide. "T…They are?" she stammered out. "But, six years ago…"

"Apparently, they survived but no one knew it. Schneizel just confirmed that they're alive yesterday," Cornelia said.

Tears appeared in Euphie's eyes. "T…That's wonderful! I'm so happy they're alive!" she exclaimed, her lavender eyes shining with joy.

"I am too," Cornelia said. But it had been six years. Cornelia frowned to herself, wondering why it took six years for Lelouch and Nunnally's continued existence to be brought to light. And why hadn't they come forward when the invasion had ended? There were a number of questions echoing in the vaults of Cornelia's head but she didn't have answers to any of them.

"So are they coming back to Pendragon?" Euphie asked.

Cornelia nodded.

"When are they arriving?"

"Probably not until late tomorrow or the day after. I hope so, at least. I have to return to the Middle East in a few days but I want to greet them when they arrive."

"So do I. But why not sooner?" Euphie asked.

"Lelouch was injured," Cornelia admitted, deciding to just tell her sister the truth. When she saw the horrified and worried look crossing Euphie's face, she added, "Schneizel said that he's going to make a full recovery when I spoke to him so you don't have to worry, Euphie."

"Oh, thank goodness. But what happened? Why was he injured?" Euphie asked with a frown.

"Schneizel said that it was an assassination attempt made on Clovis but, apparently, the assassin recognized Lelouch and Nunnally as royalty and decided to go after them as well. Both Clovis and Nunnally are fine," Cornelia said, adding the last part when she saw the fear appearing on her little sister's face.

"But why? And how did this assassin know about Lelouch and Nunnally but no one else did?" Euphie asked bewildered.

"They must have done a lot of research but I don't know for sure," Cornelia admitted. She placed her hands on Euphie's shoulders and smiled down at her. "Now that I have some time off, why don't we go to the gardens for some tea?"

Euphie smiled brightly. "Okay, Sister," she said and the two headed towards the gardens next to the li Britannia Estate.

 **. . .**

 _Mercy General Hospital, Tokyo Settlement_

The doctors still hadn't medically cleared Lelouch to leave and so he found himself spending most of his time staring at the wall or talking with Nunnally who visited him whenever he could. She wasn't the only one who was visiting them at the moment though.

"And I actually found a perfect backdrop for a new painting that I want to paint for Nunnally," Clovis said from where he was seated on a chair next to Lelouch's bed. Nunnally was in a wheelchair on the other side, one of her hands clasped in his.

Nunnally giggled. "He's thinking of using Mount Fuji before the invasion," she said.

"I've found plenty of pictures online that inspired me to do this," Clovis admitted. "Besides, Nunnally asked me to paint a painting for her."

"Do you think you can include big brother?" Nunnally asked.

Lelouch grimaced, which Clovis noticed because he chucked and said, "I don't think Lelouch likes that idea."

Nunnally pouted and turned her face to him. "Please, big brother?" she said pleadingly.

Lelouch sighed, unable to say no to his little sister. "Fine," he said.

Clovis laughed. "She still has you wrapped around her little finger," he said with a chuckle before he stood up and stretched, adding, "Well, I had best get back. I have a meeting that I must attend and a party afterward. Perhaps I can get Brother Schneizel to come with." He waved a goodbye to them and left the hospital room.

"Brother Schneizel has never seemed like a party person like Brother Clovis," Nunnally commented. "So I don't know if he'll be able to get him to go."

Lelouch hummed in agreement and turned to gaze at Nunnally. "How are you, Nunnally?" he asked softly.

Nunnally gave him a smile. "I'm fine now. No one's treating me differently since the news spread." She tightened her grip on Lelouch's hand and added, "I'm glad you're recovering, big brother. I don't know what I'd do without you." Tears appeared behind her closed eyes and Lelouch stretched out a hand and gently wiped them away, a soft smile on his face.

"It's all right, Nunnally. I'm here. I'm okay," he assured his little sister.

"Why'd you do it?" Nunnally whispered sadly.

"Because I couldn't let that girl hurt you," Lelouch said simply. He would never forgive himself if he let Nunnally get hurt; as it was, he was still furious at that girl for shooting at Nunnally. If he ever ran into that girl again, he'd kill her for daring to try to harm his little sister. But, for now, he didn't have to worry about that and focused on reassuring his little sister.

 **. . .**

 _March 6, 2016_

 _Mercy General Hospital, Tokyo Settlement_

News of his and Nunnally's survival had, somehow, spread throughout the Tokyo Settlement like a wildfire, even though Milly had assured him that no one at Ashford Academy had spilled the beans. However, the following morning, when Lelouch was medically cleared to leave the hospital—with orders to take it easy—the entire front of the hospital was filled with reporters and cameraman. It made Lelouch want to strangle that purple-haired girl who had caused his identity to be revealed in the first place, not that he didn't already want to kill her for what she tried to do to Nunnally.

And Clovis for informing Pendragon, though he was expecting it to happen.

And whichever idiot let the information leak into the media, which was unexpected.

"Oh my, I wasn't expecting this. This might be a problem," Clovis mused.

Lelouch gave his half-brother a scathing 'you think?' look, which only Schneizel, who was standing on Clovis's other side, caught, judging by the slight twitching of his lips.

Clovis wasn't due to announce Lelouch and Nunnally's survival for another hour but some moron had leaked the news to the media. At the very least, Lelouch mused, Schneizel was able to talk Clovis out of the party that he was planning on hosting after the announcement was made.

"Big Brother, why aren't we moving?" Nunnally asked in confusion.

"Someone leaked the news of us still being alive to the media and there are reporters outside," Lelouch explained.

"Oh."

"Well, I was waiting until noon to make the announcement but now seems as good a time as ever. Might as well take advantage of all these reporters being here. I wasn't looking forward to trying to gather so many reporters on such short notice to ensure that the news spread," Clovis mused.

"Is this even necessary?" Lelouch asked.

"Of course it is," Clovis said with a grin. "This is wonderful news after all."

"Yeah, wonderful," Lelouch muttered to himself in irritation. It was certainly not wonderful for him that the life he had made for himself and Nunnally _away_ from the Royal Family had been taken from him.

Nunnally slipped her hand into Lelouch's, which was resting on the arm of her wheelchair, and squeezed it. He smiled down at her, able to repress the irritation that he had felt, and squeezed her hand in response. Nunnally didn't seem as badly affected by the knowledge that they would be returning to their lives as part of the royal family but then she didn't know the whole truth behind what happened to cause their exile to begin with.

She just thought they had been exiled to keep them safe.

Lelouch didn't have the heart to tell her the truth.

Clovis straightened up and strode toward the doors to the hospital, walking out of them while Schneizel moved to Lelouch's shoulder.

"Do you suppose Big Brother and I will be asked to speak to those reporters outside?" Nunnally asked.

"I doubt it," Schneizel said. "For one, we do not have the time since we have to leave soon, hence why I convinced Clovis to not hold that party he wanted to hold and, for another, Clovis does enjoy the spotlight a bit too much."

"Like a preening peacock," Lelouch huffed and Schneizel's lips twitched slightly but he said nothing.

 **. . .**

 _Student Council Meeting Room, Ashford Academy_

Shirley sat in the Student Council Meeting Room, watching the impromptu press conference Prince Clovis had called in front of the hospital that Lelouch had been admitted to. News of Lelouch being a prince and Nunnally being a princess had spread throughout the settlement, though no one at Ashford Academy had leaked the news. They were taking Milly's orders seriously, though Shirley knew that many of the girls were heartbroken now that they knew that they probably had no chance with Lelouch.

She, herself, was upset because she knew she wouldn't get a shot with him either now that he was a prince. She closed her eyes and found herself wondering if she should have just told Lelouch what she felt about him when she had spoken to him in his hospital room.

She opened her eyes and shook her head. She couldn't tell him how she felt. She just always got so flustered when she was around him and attempted to tell him about her feelings and she was sure she would have ended up a sputtering idiot if she tried. She could speak to him just fine as a friend, even lecturing and scolding him whenever he and Rivalz would ditch school to go gambling, but when it came to her feelings was when she became a tongue-tied idiot.

" _People of Area 11 and of all of Britannia. Today, I, Prince Clovis la Britannia, bring you good news,_ " Clovis stated, standing in front of the mass of reporters and cameraman that had gathered in front of the hospital. " _It is with great joy in my heart that I inform you that two members of the Royal Family whom were thought to have been killed six years ago are still alive. Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally vi Britannia have been found alive and well. However, in order to ensure their safety, they will remain out of the public eye for the time being._ "

" _Prince Clovis! Prince Clovis! Why was Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally in Area 11 to begin with?_ " One reporter called out.

" _Unfortunately, that is information that I cannot give out. Suffice to say, it had to do with their safety,_ " Clovis said.

Milly scoffed under her breath, causing Shirley to glance at her. "Why _were_ they in Area 11, Milly?" she asked.

"It's not my secret to share, Shirley," Milly said.

" _Your Highness! What shall happen to the prince and princess now?_ " Another reporter called out.

" _They will return to Pendragon but they will be free to visit Area 11 whenever they wish,_ " Clovis stated. " _Now then, I will accept no other questions. I will hold an official press conference later on today to discuss this matter more._ "

The screen changed and reverted back to the news station that the Student Council had been watching when the impromptu press conference started, signaling that Clovis was done speaking.

"I guess this means that they're going to be leaving soon," Rivalz said, looking sad. "I'm gonna miss him."

"I think we all will," Milly said and glanced toward Nina who looked up from her computer screen.

She nodded slowly in response. Nina _would_ miss Lelouch. He was always nice and respectful toward her and they were on the same level when it came to intelligence to where they could actually discuss things that went over the heads of the rest of the Student Council. She saw a somewhat kindred spirit in Lelouch, even if he was lazy and skipped school a lot.

Shirley sighed sadly. "I hope we'll be able to see him again," she said.

The others nodded in agreement.

 **. . .**

 _Pacific Coast Airport, Pendragon_

Pendragon hadn't changed at all since Lelouch had last seen it. A metropolitan city of lights, beautiful gardens, and sprawling palaces and estates, it was beautiful and serene, untouched by war and strife. At least, that was how it looked like on the outside. Lelouch knew of just how much corruption existed within Pendragon's pristine walls.

He kept those thoughts to himself though and kept his face blank and impassive as the private plane that Schneizel had arrived in Area 11 in made its landing. He would be meeting with the Emperor in the morning, since it was too late to meet with him now and the Emperor had already informed Schneizel that the meeting would take place the next day. Lelouch was already attempting to figure out just what to say to keep the Emperor from harming Nunnally.

Bowing his head to the Emperor still made him furious though.

One of the things Lelouch was sure the Emperor would ask him was why he hadn't come forward after the invasion ended but Lelouch, after much thinking during the trip from Area 11—since he couldn't sleep, though Nunnally had fallen asleep rather quickly—had figured out just what to say. And as long as he did not say it in such a way that could be taken as an accusation then it should work to keep the Emperor off his back.

He knew that the hardest thing for him to do would be to keep the hatred and contempt he felt for the Emperor at bay.

He yawned and looked down at Nunnally who was fast asleep in her seat, her head pillowed on his shoulder and her hand clasping his. He smiled to himself. _At least she can get to sleep,_ he thought, wishing he had been able to since he was starting to feel the effects of jetlag.

The plane landed and Lelouch gently nudged Nunnally awake, causing her to squeeze his hand and then slowly sit up, using her free hand to rub the sleep out of her closed eyes. Lelouch gently picked her up and carried her to the wheelchair, placing her in it.

"Thank you," Nunnally said with a smile.

"You're welcome," Lelouch said and yawned again.

Nunnally giggled. "You sound tired. You should've tried to get some sleep," she said.

"I did. Sleep didn't like me apparently," Lelouch said dryly and Nunnally giggled again, which brought a small smile to the older brother's lips. Even if he was going to be forced back into the folds of the Royal Family, at least he had Nunnally with him. And, while he didn't want Nunnally to ever be used as a political tool again and was going to do whatever he had to in order to prevent that from happening, it was refreshing to hear his little sister's innocent laughter.

A horde of Britannian soldiers were there to escort Lelouch and Nunnally and Schneizel, who was joined by his assistant Kanon, turned to them. "I will take my leave now. These men will escort you to the Aries Villa. I will be there in the morning to escort you to the palace," he said.

Lelouch nodded and Schneizel strode off with Kanon walking behind him while Lelouch, pushing Nunnally's wheelchair, followed the soldiers, examining the interior of the airport they landed at as he walked. It was dark and there weren't many people out and about at that time of day but the fact that the airport was a private one, primarily for the arrival and leaving of members of the royal family, meant their trek to the cars was uninterrupted.

They had only brought with them what they had managed to quickly grab when they had gone back to Ashford Academy to get their stuff before they left. They were only told to take what they absolutely needed and that everything else could be replaced; so Lelouch made sure to grab anything that held sentimental value. The locket that Shirley had given him still hung around his neck. He refused to take it off.

There was a car parked outside and Lelouch gently lifted Nunnally into the car, putting her seatbelt on while one of the soldiers folded up the wheelchair and put it in the back. They were certainly very serious, doing everything that needed to be done and not showing any emotion while they did so. Just like a soldier; just going about obeying orders like some dog for its master.

Lelouch grimaced to himself as he climbed into the back of the car next to Nunnally, thankful that she couldn't see it. He was going to be one of those in the near future, thanks to that bastard Emperor's decision regarding his future.

He lifted the locket into his hands and clicked it open, gazing at the picture of himself, Nunnally, and the Student Council and smiled to himself as he thought about the promise he had made Shirley.

 _…I'll never forget about you, any of you, Shirley. I promise._

"Big Brother?" Nunnally said.

Lelouch turned to his sister. "Yes, Nunnally?" he asked.

Nunnally turned her face toward him. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about our future here and everything that's happened," Lelouch admitted.

"Oh. I hope that our future will be a happy one," Nunnally said with a smile.

Gazing at his sister, Lelouch found himself smiling. "I'm sure it will be, Nunnally," he said.

Right then and there, he made himself another promise. _I will have my revenge, I will destroy Britannia, and I will ensure that Nunnally's future is a happy one, no matter what it takes._ He closed the locket and clenched his fingers around it; the locket would serve as his reminder of his promise and his quest to get his revenge and destroy Britannia.

 **. . .**

 _Aries Villa, Pendragon_

Aries Villa hadn't changed much, if at all, since Lelouch had last seen it, except for the entrance hall. When he entered the entrance hall with Nunnally, he was instantly overcome by a flashback; of shattered glass, of his mother's bullet-ridden, bloodstained body, of his little sister's terrified, crying, and shaking form…

It was only because of Nunnally's concerned query that Lelouch was able to break out of the flashback and he assured her that he was all right. He tried not to think about that grand staircase as a tall, slim woman with long, fiery red hair dressed in a maid outfit joined him and bowing. "Your Highness," she said. "I am Mari Storm. I'm the head of the staff here. We were told you were arriving and have already prepared yours and Princess Nunnally's bedrooms as I am sure you've had a long flight and would like to rest."

"Thank you and, please, call me Lelouch," Lelouch said.

Mari looked surprised.

Lelouch gave her a patient smile. "I'm not exactly comfortable being referred to as 'your Highness' anymore," he explained.

"Oh, uh, of course, your…I mean, Lelouch," the maid said quickly.

"You can call me Nunnally too," Nunnally piped up and then yawned, adding, "I guess I didn't get enough sleep on the plane ride."

"No doubt the jetlag is catching up to you too," Lelouch said, glancing at his sister with a fond smile and then turning to Mari. "Will you escort us to our rooms?"

"Of course, your…er…Lelouch. This way," Mari said and led the way past the grand staircase to where an elevator would take them to the upper floors.

Lelouch's room was large, easily the same size as his and Nunnally's rooms combined in the wing they lived in at the Student Clubhouse. It was done in gentle earth tones with pale-brown carpet, forest green curtains that swayed in the breeze coming from the open windows, and a large canopy bad with a dark-green comforter.

The entire villa felt like something was missing though. It just didn't have the same _feel_ that it had when Lelouch's mother had been alive. It just felt like a quiet, empty _tomb_.

"Princess Nunnally's room is right across the hall, your…Lelouch," Mari said.

"Thank you," Lelouch said again and dismissed the head of staff, who bowed and left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Lelouch wandered over to the bed and laid down on it. It was comfortable and Lelouch was tired. He didn't even bother on changing out of his clothes and, before long, he was fast asleep.

 **. . .**

 _March 7, 2016_

 _Imperial Palace, Pendragon_

The Imperial Palace

Lelouch gazed at it with utter loathing in his eyes as the car he and his brother Schneizel were riding in made its way toward it. He had been woken up at seven in the morning by Mari who had laid out the clothing that he would be wearing for his audience with the Emperor. It was uncomfortable, mostly because Lelouch hadn't warn such fancy clothing since he had been exiled six years ago.

He was dressed in a black tunic bordered with gold that fell to his waist and black slacks over which was a black overcoat bordered by gold and with a dark-purple lining. It was similar to what he wore six years earlier. He had no idea who was behind it but, since it kind of reminded him of the Ashford Academy uniform, he let it slide.

Once they were outside the palace, Lelouch and Schneizel left the car and entered the palace. "I've already informed the rest of our siblings about when you and Nunnally were to arrive but only a few have agreed to actually come and greet you in person," Schneizel said as they walked down the elaborate hallway toward the throne room. "They are going to meet up at the Aries Villa after your meeting with the Emperor."

"You didn't have to accompany me," Lelouch said.

Schneizel glanced down at him. "I have something I have to report to the Emperor anyway so I thought I may as well come along with you, though he will likely want to speak with you first," he said.

They came to a stop in front of the throne room and the herald next to the door was quick to slip into the throne room to announce Lelouch's arrival.

He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, held his head high, and completely banished any and all emotion from his face.

"Now announcing Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince and seventeenth heir to the throne," the herald stated.

Lelouch, keeping his head held high, walked into the throne room as soon as the announcement was finished and walked down the aisle that was lined by nobility who were quick to start murmuring among themselves. He ignored them, his impassive gaze fixed on the Emperor seated on his throne, looking down at him with cool, unreadable purple eyes.

Lelouch came to a stop at the throne and, biting back his pride, knelt down, lowering his head and crossing a fist above his heart as was the signal of loyalty. "I, Lelouch vi Britannia, have returned and do humbly ask for your forgiveness," he said all the while having to bite back the bile that rose up in the back of his throat and not lift his head lest the Emperor see the disgust and hatred that glowed in his eyes that he was trying his hardest to repress.

There was a long moment of silence, then: "You will all leave us," Emperor Charles zi Britannia ordered, much to Lelouch's surprise and to the surprise of the nobility that were gathered. They, nonetheless, left, murmuring amongst themselves. While they did that, Lelouch finally managed to repress the negative feelings he was feeling and once again adopted a look of impassiveness.

"Rise, Lelouch," Charles ordered and Lelouch rose to his feet, lifting his head as he did so.

The Emperor left his throne and started to circle around Lelouch almost as if he was a bird of prey and Lelouch was the prey. "Why have you returned now after so long?" Charles asked, his voice cool. Lelouch was able to keep his feelings under control by adopting a poker face. It was due to that poker face that Lelouch was able to gamble as effectively as he had and it helped in preventing the Emperor from seeing what he truly felt. That was unless the Emperor already knew. Lelouch hadn't exactly hidden how he felt when the Emperor refused to look into his mother's assassination more thoroughly and had decided to use Lelouch and Nunnally as bargaining chips after all.

"Because my identity was revealed while I was in Area 11 and Brother Clovis decided that I was to return here to Pendragon, Your Majesty," Lelouch answered, deciding to be honest for the time being.

"And why did you not return sooner?" Charles asked, coming to a stop in front of Lelouch.

"Because I did not know whether I was allowed to return, Your Majesty," Lelouch said, sprinkling a little truth in with the lie. That was something that Lelouch had taught himself a long time ago and was what made him a good liar. He wasn't exactly lying though; while he was sure he would have been allowed to return, he and Nunnally had been _ordered_ to Japan as bargaining chips and thus he made it seem as though he didn't know whether that order remained standing or not after the invasion.

Charles observed him for a long moment. "You have grown up, Lelouch," he stated finally. "You are no longer the child you were when you first came before me. Am I correct?"

"I have grown up to see that I had acted like a rash, reckless, stupid child. I am no longer that way," Lelouch said, keeping his voice level.

"Hmm." Charles studied him once again. "You are still of use to me. I trust Schneizel has already informed you about my decision regarding you and your sister, yes?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Lelouch said.

"Good. I will give you and your sister one week to make your decision on where it is you will go. You will inform Schneizel of your decision," Charles said. "But you must prove that you will be useful to me, Lelouch." The _or else_ threat was not said but Lelouch could hear it in the Emperor's tone and see it in the Emperor's cold eyes.

"I shall, Your Majesty," Lelouch promised. _For Nunnally,_ he thought.

"Good. You are dismissed," Charles said and strode back to his throne.

Lelouch bowed again, turned around, and walked out of the throne room, keeping his face expressionless the entire time, even though that entire conversation with the Emperor had really done a number on his pride.

Schneizel stood up as Lelouch left the throne room. "Did all go well?" he asked.

"As well as I expected," Lelouch answered.

Schneizel nodded. "The car is waiting outside. It will take you back to the Aries Villa. I am sure that the siblings who wished to see you are already there," he said and then headed toward the throne room, entering as soon as the herald announced him.

Lelouch left the Imperial Palace, glad to be out in the open air. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as the warm spring breeze ruffled his hair, and relaxed. Opening his eyes, he walked over to the car, nodding his thanks to the driver who opened the door for him.

"Back to Aries Villa, Your Highness?" the driver asked.

"Yes," Lelouch replied and the driver bowed, closing the door, and moving around the car to get into the driver's side.

Lelouch relaxed against the plush seat, crossing his legs and gazing out the window as the car drove away from the Imperial Palace. He mused that it was rather easy for him to slip back into the role of prince.

 _I suppose it comes from living over half my life as a prince,_ Lelouch thought.

 **. . .**

 _Aries Villa, Pendragon_

Nunnally was in the parlor, drinking a cup of tea that Mari had been nice enough to make for her, and thinking about everything that had happened and what would happen now. She figured that her Big Brother would tell her when he got back from his meeting with their father. She didn't know what that meeting was about but knew that her big brother wasn't exactly happy about it, even if he didn't admit it out loud. She, somehow, just knew that Lelouch wasn't happy.

The door opened and Nunnally turned toward it. "Yes?" She said.

"Forgive me, Your…I mean Nunnally," Mari's voice said. "But you have a couple of visitors."

"Who?" Nunnally asked curiously.

"Princess Cornelia li Britannia and Princess Euphemia li Britannia," Mari replied.

Nunnally beamed at the mention of her two favorite half-sisters. "Send them in," she said with a bright smile.

"Yes, Your…Nunnally," Mari said and Nunnally heard her walk out of the room, closing the door politely behind her.

Only a few minutes passed by before the door opened and a cry of " _Nunnally_!" sounded just before Nunnally felt arms wrap around her, nearly causing her to drop the tea cup in her hand. Thankfully, it was empty.

She smiled because she recognized the voice and the familiar scent of jasmine. "Euphie!" She said and, putting the teacup down, wrapped her arms around Euphie.

"Oh, I've missed you so much," Euphie exclaimed, pulling back, a soft sob escaping her lips. "I thought…we all thought…but you're here. You're alive!"

"Don't cry, Euphie," Nunnally said gently, hearing the quiet sob. "I'm here. I'm still alive."

"I'm so glad," Euphie said.

"Is Nellie with you?" Nunnally asked.

"I'm here but a certain sister of mine is preventing me from greeting you as well," Cornelia's amused voice sounded and Euphie mumbled an apology before releasing Nunnally. A moment later, she felt Cornelia's arms encircle her and smiled.

"I'm glad you're alive, Nunnally," Cornelia said, releasing her a few moments later. "Where's Lelouch?"

"He went to speak with the Emperor. He should be back soon," Nunnally said. "Do you want to sit down and wait for him with me? Mari can bring you some tea or something." She heard Euphie flop into an armchair followed by a small chuckle from Cornelia.

"Very princess-like, Euphie," Cornelia said and Nunnally heard her take a seat as well.

The door opened again and Nunnally heard the shuffle of feet on the carpet. "Is there anything you need, Nunnally?" Mari said.

"Do you think you can get some tea for Nellie and Euphie?" Nunnally asked.

"I can. What kind of tea would you like, Your Highnesses?" Mari asked, directing the question at the other two princesses in the room.

"Black tea is fine for me," Cornelia said. "Two cubes of sugar and that's it."

"I'll have green tea. Four cubes of sugar please," Euphie said.

"Yes, Your Highnesses," Mari said and Nunnally heard her leave the room.

"Like you need any more sugar, Euphie," Cornelia said and then shifted in her seat. "What happened, Nunnally? We all got the news."

"It's a long story," Nunnally admitted. "Big Brother can probably explain it better than me."

"Explain what better than you?" Lelouch's familiar voice sounded and Nunnally turned toward it.

"Lelouch!" Euphie cried and there was the rush of feet followed by a startled yelp from Lelouch and a _thud_.

"Euphie!" Cornelia groaned and Nunnally started laughing since she had just pictured what just happened.

 **. . .**

Once he had arrived at the Aries Villa, Lelouch was quick to find Mari who told him that Nunnally was in the parlor with guests. When she told him who their guests were, he had to smile; Cornelia and Euphie were his favorite half-sisters. Naturally, they would never take Nunnally's spot but they were close seconds.

He made his way into the parlor just in time to hear Nunnally say, "Big Brother can probably explain it better than me."

"Explain what better than you?" he asked, causing two sets of eyes to turn toward him.

"Lelouch!" Euphie cried, jumping out of the armchair she had flopped into and running across the floor to launch herself at him. He let out a startled yelp as Euphie crashed into him, catching him off guard and knocking him off his feet, sending them both sprawling to the ground.

"Euphie!" Cornelia groaned, hand over her face as she stared at Euphie who was now sitting on Lelouch's stomach, a sheepish smile on her face while Nunnally was laughing.

Lelouch, meanwhile, was trying hard not to react to the sudden pain that sparked in his chest from the sudden collision with the floor. "Euphie, I'm glad…to see you too but…please get off," he said through gritted teeth.

Euphie gasped as if she had just realized something and quickly scrambled off him. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I forgot!" she gasped as Lelouch sat up, one hand on his chest but it didn't feel as if the wound had reopened. He hadn't thought hitting the floor like that would reopen it but it had hurt.

"What happened?" Nunnally asked concerned.

"Don't worry about it, Nunnally," Lelouch said, pushing himself to his feet and ignoring the twinge of pain in his back.

Euphie still looked guilty. "I'm sorry, Lelouch," she said. "I forgot that you had just gotten out of the hospital only yesterday."

Lelouch's eyes softened and he placed a hand on Euphie's shoulder. "It's okay, Euphie," he assured the pink-haired princess. He always did have a soft spot for Euphie.

She bit her lip and then gave him a hug that was gentler, smiling. "It's so good to see you though," she said, releasing him. "When I heard the news, I was devastated."

"We both were," Cornelia said as she moved to Euphie's side and also pulled Lelouch into a hug, albeit a brief one. She stepped back and studied him, a small frown on her face. "Have you been eating at all? You look like a twig."

"Thanks, Nellie, really," Lelouch said dryly. The nickname that he and Nunnally used for Cornelia ever since they were little slipped out rather easily but he didn't bother on taking it back. "So what were we talking about anyway?"

"I was telling them that you might be able to explain what happened during and after the invasion better than me," Nunnally said.

"What did happen? How did you survive? Why didn't you contact us sooner?" Euphie asked.

Lelouch sighed and decided on giving them an abridged version of the actual story. "Let's sit down," he said and walked over to an armchair and sat down; Cornelia and Euphie followed suit.

The door opened and Mari walked in carrying a tray with two steaming cups of tea. She placed it on the table and bowed to Lelouch. "Is there anything you require, your…er….Lelouch?" she asked, quickly amending her question when Lelouch gave her a look.

"Nothing at the moment, Mari. Thank you though," he said.

Mari bowed and left the parlor.

Cornelia raised an eyebrow as she picked up her tea and blew on it to cool it down. She then sipped at it as she waited for Lelouch to start speaking.

"We were lucky," Lelouch said. "When the airstrikes began, Nunnally and I, along with a friend we had made within the family we had been placed with when we arrived, had been outside. It was difficult but, thanks to that friend of ours, we were able to get clear of the danger. After that, we split up, Nunnally and I headed to find the Ashfords and have been staying with them ever since."

"Why didn't you just go to the Britannians when the invasion began?" Cornelia asked.

Lelouch hesitated. "We were scared and all we could think about was getting away from the danger," he said, not wanting to bring Suzaku into the picture. He pushed the memory of the invasion out of his mind though since thinking about the Japanese boy he had become friends with brought with it bittersweet memories.

"Can we talk about something else?" Nunnally asked. He knew that she didn't really care for talking about what happened after they were forced to leave the Kururugi Shrine with Suzaku.

"What would you like to talk about then, Nunnally?" Lelouch asked.

"What's going to happen to us now, Big Brother?" Nunnally asked.

"Well, the Emperor has already made his decision for us, Nunnally," Lelouch said. "Schneizel told me about it while we were still in Area 11 but the Emperor just confirmed it today. We're both given a choice. Yours is you can decide to stay here in Pendragon or you can return to Area 11 and continue your schooling at Ashford Academy."

"And what about you?" Nunnally asked.

Lelouch's lips twitched into a slight grimace before his face went impassive. "The Emperor has insisted that I enlist in the military," he said. "But I get to choose where I will enlist; whether it will be here in Pendragon or in Area 11."

"The military?" Euphie echoed.

Lelouch nodded. "It's up to you, Nunnally," he said.

"Me?" Nunnally's face showed surprise.

"Yes. I go wherever you decide to go," Lelouch said. "The Emperor has given us a week to decide."

Nunnally bit her lip and then said, "I want to go back to Area 11."

"You do, Nunnally?" Euphie said, surprised. "B…But you just got back!"

"I know," Nunnally said with a smile. "But I've made so many friends at Ashford Academy and I feel so comfortable there."

"Are you sure, Nunnally?" Lelouch asked. "You do still have a week to decide."

"I'm sure," Nunnally said. "It was great getting to speak to you two again, Euphie, Nellie, but I really just feel comfortable at Ashford and don't want to leave all my friends, even if everyone will know I'm a princess when I go back, I still wanna go back. I like being able to attend an actual school, even with my special classes and my teachers are all wonderful."

"If you really are sure, Nunnally, then that's my decision as well," Lelouch said. He wasn't going to go far from Nunnally. If she was going to return to Area 11, then he would as well.

"We can still keep in contact, right?" Euphie asked. "I mean, both of you sound like you've made your decision."

"Sure we can, Euphie," Nunnally said with a big smile. "And with Nellie too, if possible."

"I probably won't be able to respond that often," Cornelia admitted. "I'm returning to the Middle East in a few days. I only took a few days of leave to come see you after Schneizel gave me the news. Just take care of yourselves, Lelouch, Nunnally."

"We will," Nunnally said.

 **. . .**

 _Imperial Palace, Pendragon_

Schneizel remained where he knelt in front of his father as he waited for the Emperor to respond to his report on the situation he had discovered in the Europia United right before he had returned to Pendragon and before he had gone to Area 11. The Emperor was silent, looking deep in thought.

"And you are sure that they have infiltrated the areas?" he asked.

"Yes. We have received reports that they have infiltrated as many as five Areas. I do not yet know if the others have been infiltrated or not, Your Majesty," Schneizel said, his face as calm and cool as his voice.

"Hmm. Which areas are these?"

"Areas 3, 5, 8, 9, and 11," Schneizel said.

"There has been a pretty strong terrorist presence in Area 11," the Emperor mused. "Has Clovis been made aware of this situation?"

"Not yet, Your Majesty. I shall inform him as soon as possible," Schneizel said.

"Let's see how Clovis handles this situation," the Emperor said.

"What of the other areas? Shall I send warning to them as well?"

"Do what you think is best," the Emperor said dismissively.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

 **. . .**

 _March 14, 2016_

 _Pendragon_

For the next week, Lelouch and Nunnally spent most of their time with Euphie and Cornelia, until Cornelia had to leave. (1) During that time, Lelouch also focused on trying to get into shape for the basic training he would have to go through. He did make sure to take it easy at first since he was still recovering and really didn't want to accidentally reopen his wound. Euphie also came to visit them every day after Cornelia left and until the day that they would leave.

On the day of their departure, Lelouch had a meeting with his brother Schneizel in the study at the Aries Villa. Sitting at the desk across from the chessboard that Schneizel had set up, Lelouch studied his older brother. "So what's this about?" he asked as Schneizel gestured for him to make the first move. He moved a pawn forward and Schneizel responded by moving one of his own pawns forward.

"I just wanted to warn you. There is a lot terrorist activity arising in Area 11," Schneizel said as Lelouch made his move and he countered by taking one of his pawns. "I have no doubt that you will be placed in charge of a regiment once you complete basic training."

"Oh?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow as he moved his bishop to take Schneizel's knight.

"It is not uncommon," Schneizel said simply, his rook moving in to take Lelouch's bishop. "And it will help with our plan."

"What, exactly, is our plan? You haven't explained it yet," Lelouch said, moving his own rook to take out Schneizel's.

Schneizel's lips pulled back in a small smile. "For now, it is helping you to garner a reputation. Check." He had moved his second knight, putting Lelouch's King in danger and he quickly moved it out of the way. "And prestige as well as a better understanding of just how the military works. Check." He had moved his queen and placed Lelouch's king in danger again. He countered by using his own queen to take out Schneizel's and put his King in jeopardy.

"Check. So my part in the plan is to garner a reputation and prestige in the military," Lelouch said.

"Yes, for now," Schneizel said, moving his second bishop to take Lelouch's queen. "Checkmate."

Lelouch studied the board and sighed as he realized Schneizel, as usual, got the better of him. Someday, he would beat Schneizel in a chess game but it wasn't that day.

Schneizel stood up and, after putting the board and its pieces away, pulled something out of his pocket and held it out. Lelouch took it, recognizing it as a thumb drive. "On there is a list of all of my allies. Since we are working together, they're your allies as well," he said.

Lelouch nodded, slipping the thumb drive into the pocket of his slacks.

"Big Brother! The car's here!" Nunnally called.

"I'm coming," Lelouch called back and left the room to join his sister and Mari who had offered to push Nunnally's wheelchair.

When they reached the private airport, Euphie was there to see them off. She hugged both of them and then said, "Please keep in contact."

"We will, Euphie," Lelouch assured her.

She smiled and waved as Lelouch and Nunnally, with Mari behind them, headed for the plane that would take them back to Area 11.

 **. . .**

(1): If you want to know what ends up happening during that week, keep an eye on my collection of oneshots and short stories called _The Tales of Geass_. It's where I'll post short stories and oneshots that couldn't fit in the main story for both _Rise of the Black King_ and my other _Code Geass_ fic _Divergence_ because they would detract from the plot.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: and that was the fifteen page Pendragon episode**

 **Bakura: are you ever going to return to Pendragon?**

 **Blaze: actually, based on the outline, the fact that things are going to get darker, and, as proven in the first chapter, the fact that Lelouch is _not_ incapable of getting hurt, probably**

 **Bakura: didn't you just spoil what you have planned?**

 **Blaze: how can I spoil something I haven't exactly planned out yet?**

 **Suzaku: but you just said…**

 **Blaze: it's what I'm _considering_ on happening but it just depends if things fall into place as I want them to up until where I currently am in the outline. In the _outline_ , this will happen but I don't always follow the outline exactly as I have it outlined. The outline is basically just brainstorming for me.**

 **Lelouch: in other words, you don't know how this story's going to end?**

 **Blaze: actually, I have a very good idea of how this story's going to end. It's all a matter of getting there now**

 **Lelouch: I see**

 **Charles: hello**

 **Suzaku: wait, you got a _nuke_ dropped on you? How the hell are you still alive?**

 **Charles: ask Blaze**

 **Suzaku: (turns to Blaze)**

 **Blaze: (shrugs) I enjoy torturing the characters I hate so I always bring them back to life in order to ensure that they can keep being tortured**

 **Suzaku: how the hell do you do that?**

 **Blaze: (holds up the Numeron Code from _Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal_ ) I don't own _Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal_** **by the way**

 **Lelouch: I'm not complaining (pulls out flamethrower)**

 **Suzaku: where the heck did you get that? Wait, Weapons Building, never mind**

 **Blaze: (chuckles) I hope that you enjoyed this chapter but, be warned, this is probably the only time that I'm going to update this story as quickly as I have. The next update will be sometime next week….possibly. As always, reviews are much appreciated and thank you for reading.**


	4. A Surprise Reunion

**Eleven people reviewed the last chapter. Awesome!**

 **Lelouch: well, at least she didn't shout**

 **Suzaku: agreed**

 **Ahem, I'm trying to do the beginning notes here. Anyway, thank you to _Shadow-Shinobi666, DYnoJackal19, assesh, Miraculous Messiah, yuuram2fangirl, northernlion196, ewertondragon, davycrockett100, ZeroUnleashed, Shimmering-Sky,_ and _HufflepuffKat_ for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

 **Now I know this chapter ain't that long but, believe me, the chapter length will fluctuate quite a bit.**

 **Bakura: who cares?**

 **Oh shut up, Bakura. Anyway, I'll just get straight to the point. There's another important note at the end of this chapter in my author's notes. I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _December 5, 2009_

 _Kururugi Shrine, Japan_

 _It was early December. Snow was falling from the white sky above as Suzaku wandered around the courtyard of the Kururugi Shrine, not really knowing where he was going; he was just walking and getting some fresh air. After spending the last couple of hours with his tutors, he decided that he needed it._

 _He was surprised when he spotted Princess Nunnally, Prince Lelouch's little sister, seated in her wheelchair, her face tilted toward the white sky above her head and a content expression on her face. One of the maids within the shrine was standing beside her, trying to urge her inside._

 _He wandered over to join Nunnally. Even if he and Lelouch didn't get along, he couldn't help but like Nunnally. She was really nice and was always smiling a contagious smile; her presence also brought out a side of Lelouch that people rarely saw, the side of a caring, doting older brother._

 _Nunnally's face turned toward Suzaku. "Who's there?" she called quietly._

 _"It's just me," Suzaku said._

 _"Oh, Suzaku. You came to enjoy the snow too?" Nunnally asked._

 _"Yeah," Suzaku said._

 _"It feels nice," Nunnally said, holding out a hand and smiling when a few snowflakes landed on the palm of her hand. "I remember Big Brother and I playing in the snow back in Pendragon. Winter is Big Brother's favorite season, you know. Hey, Suzaku, can I ask you something?"_

 _"Sure," Suzaku said._

 _Nunnally tilted her head toward_ _him_ _. "I wanna make something for Big Brother but I don't know what. Do you have any ideas?" she asked._

 _Suzaku pressed his lips together in thought when something simple came to him. "I have an idea," he said._

 _Later that day, after they finished the project, with Suzaku patiently teaching Nunnally how to make the appropriate folds, they set out to find Lelouch. They found the boy seated in the library, a book opened in his lap. His head lifted as Suzaku closed the door to the library and his eyes narrowed but the_ _n_ _softened when_ _he_ _saw that Suzaku wasn't alone._

 _"Nunnally? What brings you here?" he asked, closing the book and placing it on the side table as Suzaku wheeled the wheelchair over._

 _Nunnally giggled. "I came 'cause it's your birthday, Big Brother, and I couldn't wait to give you your gift," she said._

 _Suzaku blinked in surprise. He hadn't known that it was Lelouch's birthday. As a prince, he had expected Lelouch to inform everyone that it was his birthday and demand something, like a party, presents, or, at least, a birthday cake._

 _"You didn't have to get anything for me, Nunnally," Lelouch said._

 _"Of course I did! You only turn ten once! And I didn't buy you nothing. I made it for you! Well, Suzaku helped 'cause he taught me how to do it. Here, take it," Nunnally said, holding out the small, crudely wrapped present at Lelouch._

 _Lelouch took the present, his eyes flickering to Suzaku before he gently began to open the present to reveal the origami picture frame that was done in four different colors—blue, green, purple, and red—with a single picture in its center; a picture that Nunnally had told Suzaku was the only picture she had someone grab for her when they were forced to leave Aries Villa back in Pendragon. Lelouch's eyes widened and Suzaku was surprised to see tears appear that he hastily wiped away._

 _"Thank you, Nunnally," he said softly. He hesitated and his amethyst eyes went to Suzaku and his next words shocked the young Japanese boy. "And…thank you too…Suzaku, for teaching Nunnally how to make this."_

 _Getting over his surprise, Suzaku said, "You're welcome…Lelouch."_

 **. . .**

 **4**

 **A Surprise Reunion**

 _March 15, 2016_

 _Student Council Meeting Room, Ashford Academy_

Over a week had gone by since Lelouch and Nunnally had left and, gradually, the entire student body had come to accept the knowledge that things were going to be different. Whether that was because Lelouch and Nunnally were never coming back or the simple fact that they were royalty, no one knew.

Nina could tell that her friends on the student council were taking things in stride. Thankfully, none of them were being hounded by questions anymore; since they had been Lelouch's friends for the past couple of years, the student body had thought that they knew all along about that secret. When Milly told them, point blank, that they were all just as surprised as the rest of the student body, the questions stopped.

Now, they were in the middle of planning a spring festival that would take place in the middle of April as well as organizing some petitions that had been submitted by the student body, whether for the festival or for something else. Nina was typing on her computer; she was half focusing on her research but also looking up booth and activity ideas for the festival. While they did have all of those petitions from the clubs in the school, they still needed a few more ideas to ensure that there was enough for everyone who were invited to do.

She had to admit that she was just as surprised as everyone else that Lelouch and Nunnally were royalty. For Nunnally, it was hard to see the sweet, blind girl as a princess. She just didn't hold the air of someone who was royalty. Lelouch often held the air of a perpetually bored slacker in class but Nina had spoken with him enough to know that he was incredibly intelligent. Still, he never let on that he was royalty either.

He was good at keeping that part of him hidden, Nina speculated as she typed another search item and scrolled through the results.

"You got anything, Nina?" Shirley asked, turning to look at Nina.

"Um, no, not yet," Nina said softly, her gaze fixed on her computer's screen as she clicked on the arrow that would take her to the next page.

"Why are we bothering on doing this now anyway?" Rivalz asked with a frown. "I mean, we still have like a full month before the festival, right?"

"If we put it off, we're gonna end up doing it the day before the festival," Milly said, flipping through the pages in the binder in front of her. "Besides, we need to ensure that all of our ideas fit within the budget that we just created. We need another Vice President, I swear!"

Nina smiled a little to herself, knowing that Rivalz and Shirley absolutely refused to accept the position of Vice President when Milly offered it to them, stating that they either didn't want all the work associated with that position—Rivalz—or didn't feel that they were qualified for such a position—Shirley. Nina, herself, had been offered it but she knew that she wouldn't be able to do it since it was a rather social position, especially when Milly got into one of her moods and Nina wasn't very social.

There was a knock on the door and the council glanced toward it as it opened. A girl with shoulder-length red hair and bright blue eyes stepped into the meeting room. "Um, Principal Ashford sent me here to speak with Milly Ashford," she said meekly.

"That's me. What can I do for you?" Milly asked, getting to her feet and wandering over to join the red-head.

"Um, I'm Kallen Stadtfeld. I'm new and, 'cause of my medical condition, Principal Ashford thought it might be a good idea for me to join the Student Council since I have to join a club," the girl said.

Milly beamed. "And the answer to my problem just walked right through that door! Congrats, Kallen, you're the Student Council's new Vice President!" she said brightly, hugging Kallen.

"Um, okay?" Kallen said, looking rather startled at the sudden hug as well as her new position.

Rivalz leaned toward Shirley. "Should we warn her?" he murmured just loud enough for Nina to hear.

"She'll find out soon enough," Shirley murmured back.

"What're you two whispering about?" Milly asked, planting her hands on her hips as she released Kallen and frowned at them.

"Nothing, Madam President," Shirley said quickly.

"Yeah, what she said," Rivalz said.

"Good. So, Kallen, you're gonna help us get ready for the spring festival next month. Here,"—Milly picked up and handed Kallen a folder—"these are petitions that require both of our signatures to approve them. You can get started signing 'em."

"Um, okay," Kallen said and took a seat at the table, opening the folder and grimacing when she saw just how many petitions there were. She sighed but picked up the first petition, accepted the pen Shirley handed her, and signed it before going on to the next one.

They were hard at work, doing that, when the door opened again and Nina glanced toward it, eyes widening in surprise at the familiar two people who were making their way into the room. The first was Nunnally. She was dressed in a pink dress with long sleeves with her light-brown hair flowing over her shoulders. Behind her was Lelouch dressed in a black overcoat with golden trim over black slacks.

There was silence for a moment as everyone turned to look at the newcomers.

"Lulu!" Shirley exclaimed, jumping to her feet and practically tackling Lelouch, almost knocking him off his feet had he not been holding on to the handle of Nunnally's wheelchair. Milly burst out laughing while Rivalz and Kallen blinked in surprise at Shirley's reaction and Nina smiled softly to herself in amusement. When she noticed what she just did, Shirley jumped back, blushing in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, uh, Your Highness…" she stammered out.

Lelouch chuckled. "It's fine, Shirley, and didn't I say you could call me what you wanted," he said.

Shirley's blush deepened. "Um, right," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just dropping Nunnally off. I can't stay long. I have a doctor's appointment and then a meeting with Clovis," Lelouch said.

"But what are you doing back in Area 11?" Milly asked curiously once she got control of her laughter, though she was still grinning.

"Big Brother and I decided to come back here," Nunnally said. "We got to choose whether to stay in Pendragon or come back here so I can finish my schooling."

"What about you, Lulu?" Shirley asked.

"I'm joining the military as soon as I'm medically cleared," Lelouch said. He didn't sound very happy about it.

Shirley's eyes went wide with surprise. "You're joining the military?" she repeated.

Lelouch nodded.

"I never expected _you,_ of all people, to join them military," Rivalz mused. "Especially considering how many times you've skipped out on P.E. and your lack of stamina."

"Thanks for that, Rivalz," Lelouch said dryly.

Nunnally giggled.

"Oh, we got a new Vice President by the way," Milly said brightly.

"So you've already replaced me?" Lelouch said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup. Didn't take long at all," Milly said with a smirk.

Rivalz blinked. "What are you talking about? We just got a new vice president today, literally fifteen minutes ago," he said.

Lelouch chuckled. "No one wanted the position, I take it?" he said.

"No, not really," Shirley admitted, retaking her seat at the table.

"You were the only one who wanted it honestly," Milly said.

Lelouch's eyebrows rose. "The only reason I got that position is because a certain _someone_ would not stop bothering me until I agreed," he said, looking straight at Milly.

"Why are you looking at me?" Milly asked innocently.

Nunnally chuckled again.

"So which poor student did you drag into being Vice President?" Lelouch asked curiously.

Milly pulled Kallen to her feet and guided the startled red-head over to the prince and princess. "This is Kallen Stadtfeld. She's a new student and, 'cause of her condition, my grandfather decided that it would be easier for her if she was on the student council rather than another club," she said.

"And I take it as soon as she walked in the door, you decided to just dump the responsibilities of Vice President on her because Shirley, Rivalz, and Nina were unwilling to take the position," Lelouch surmised.

"Well, when you put it like that..." Milly huffed.

Lelouch chuckled and held out a hand to Kallen. "It's nice to meet you, Kallen," he said.

"You too, um Your Highness," Kallen said meekly, taking the prince's hand and shaking it.

"Just call me Lelouch," Lelouch said, releasing her hand.

"And call me Nunnally," Nunnally said with a bright smile as she held out a hand toward Kallen who took it and shook it. "I hope we can be great friends, Kallen!"

Kallen's lips quirked into a slight smile. "Yeah, maybe," she said.

The next fifteen minutes that went by was followed by Lelouch getting caught up with the rest of his friends. Nina noted that now she could definitely see Lelouch as a prince; he held himself like royalty and she marveled on how quick it was for the prince to fall back into that role after six years of acting as a genius slacker student. And yet he was still treating them as if nothing had changed between them.

"You still have it," Shirley said softly, pointing to the locket that hung around Lelouch's neck.

He picked it up and smiled at it. "I almost never take it off. It's a reminder of my promise to you, Shirley," he said.

"Oh?" Milly's eyes twinkled with amusement. "And what promise was this? Did you really take the plunge and not tell me, Shirley?" She pouted.

Shirley went red while Lelouch just blinked, looking vaguely amused but somewhat confused as well. Nina smiled to herself; it was obvious he was still clueless about Shirley's feelings. It was kind of sad that he was that oblivious though. "It…It was nothing like that!" She exclaimed. "He just promised that he'd never forget any of us, that's it."

"Oh, really? Are you sure he didn't just say he would never forget _you_. Aww, so romantic," Milly said.

"He never said that!" Shirley exclaimed.

"You do know _he_ is standing right here, right?" Lelouch asked with a raised eyebrow.

Milly smirked at him. "And do you know that you're still as dense as ever, Lelouch?" she asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"I rest my case."

Lelouch shook his head. "I don't even try to pretend I understand you, Milly. What time is it?" he asked.

Nina glanced at the clock on her computer screen. "4:15," she said.

Lelouch's lips pulled into a frown. "I stayed here a bit longer than I thought I would. I've gotta go now, Nunnally. My appointments in fifteen minutes," he said, turning to his sister and bending down to give her a hug. "If I can get Clovis to shut up long enough for me to escape my meeting with him, I'll come by later to see you."

Nunnally giggled and, after hugging Lelouch back, swatted at his shoulder. "Be nice, Big Brother," she chided.

"I was. Clovis is a chatterbox. Everyone knows it," Lelouch said. "I gotta go now. It was nice seeing all of you again and it was nice meeting you, Kallen." He gave them a goodbye wave and left the council room.

"So you're attending Ashford Academy from now on?" Kallen asked, turning to Nunnally.

She nodded. "Well, I've been attending Ashford except when I went back to Pendragon with Big Brother but, now, everyone's gonna know that I'm a princess," she admitted.

"Well, that doesn't change anything between us. You may be a princess but you're still our friend," Shirley said firmly and glanced at the rest of the council. "Right?"

"Of course," Rivalz said.

"You being a princess doesn't change that," Nina said softly.

"I've always known and I never treated you any differently so I'm not gonna start now," Milly said with a shrug.

Nunnally's smile lit up her whole face. "Thanks, you guys," she said softly.

 **. . .**

 _March 22, 2016_

 _Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement_

Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald had been in shock when the news of Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia's survival had reached his ears. After six years of trying to find them following the formation of Area 11, he had nearly given up hope of ever finding the children of Marianne vi Britannia. He did cling on to the hope that they were still alive though, however slimmer it got with each passing day in which there were no results of his search.

Even though he had created the Purist Faction out of pureblood Britannians that were part of the regiment Jeremiah had joined when he came to Area 11, he didn't believe in their stance, at least, not entirely. The woman to whom he had sworn his loyalty was a commoner herself, after all, and yet she had become a Knight of the Round and was one of the strongest fighters in all of Britannia. He had only created the Purist Faction as a front to try and find clues as to who was behind Lady Marianne's assassination as well as try to find her children, since he wanted to believe that the news report of their deaths was false.

And, as it turned out, the news report was, indeed, false.

It was still mind-boggling to think that the children of Marianne vi Britannia were alive and well and had been for the past six years.

With Marianne's death, Jeremiah's loyalty had switched to her children. There was no denying that but, when he was unable to find them, he, instead, gave his loyalty to Clovis. However, now that the vi Britannia children were back, Jeremiah was conflicted; on one hand were the oaths of loyalty that he swore to Clovis and yet, on the other, were the oaths of loyalty he swore to Lady Marianne and her entire family. Though, to be honest, he knew that his loyalty to the vi Britannia family was much stronger but that didn't deny that he still had sworn oaths to Clovis.

And that was why he was in the office of the Viceroy of Area 11 with General Bartley of Clovis's Royal Guard and General Branden Andon, Commander-in-Chief of the 11th Division stationed in Area 11, discussing the increase in terrorist activity in areas outside of the Tokyo Settlement.

"What made them reveal themselves now and then just vanish without a trace without waiting to see the results of their handy work in Sapporo and Hakodate?" Andon said with a frown. He was a quiet, unassuming dark-green haired man in his late fifties, though he certainly didn't look his age; despite his modesty, he was a superb fighter and a slightly above average pilot.

"Perhaps scare tactics," Bartley suggested. "Especially since they did target the civilians in Sapporo while they only targeted the military base in Hakodate."

"Possibly, though that leads me to wonder if the attacks were done by two different groups of people since both are incredibly different. Sapporo can be seen as scare tactics and sending a message but Hakodate seems like a coordinated attack," Andon said thoughtfully. "Still, there really isn't much we can do so long as the terrorists remain hidden."

"I want this problem solved quickly, gentlemen, and before the Liberators get involved themselves, if they haven't already since it's unclear just _who_ was behind these attacks," Clovis said firmly. The Liberators was the current largest and most powerful terrorist organization in the entire world, according to some sources anyway; they were definitely larger than the Japan Liberation Front. They had many cells, one, if not more, of which was in Area 11. "Is there any way you can draw the attackers out of hiding?"

"It's possible but it will take time, Your Highness," Andon said.

Clovis rubbed his head. "Just do it, General," he said.

"Yes, Your Highness."

A knock sounded on the door and Clovis glanced toward it. "Has the time really flown by that fast?" he mused out loud. "Come in."

The door opened and Jeremiah watched as Prince Lelouch made his way into the office, amethyst eyes scanning the people gathered. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked.

"No, we were just finishing up. Gentlemen, you're dismissed," Clovis said as he stood up and walked out from around the desk.

Jeremiah walked past the prince, who cast a sidelong glance at him, a contemplative look in those amethyst depths, before he returned his attention to his brother. While he wanted to speak with the prince, to apologize and beg his forgiveness, he knew that he would have to wait until later.

As he walked out of the office and down the hallway, his phone rang. Fishing it out of his uniform's pocket, he placed it against his ear. "Hello?" he said.

" _Hey, Jeremiah. Kewell and I are heading out to lunch. Do you want to come with?_ " Villetta Nu's voice asked on the other end.

Jeremiah glanced at the time and saw that it was a little after noon and he was starting to feel hungry. While he did want to speak to Prince Lelouch as soon as he could, he doubted that he would get his chance that day.

"All right. I'll meet you at the base. I just finished my meeting with the Viceroy so I'll be heading back now," Jeremiah said.

" _All right. See you in a few,_ " Villetta said and hung up.

Jeremiah closed the phone and slipped it into his pocket before he left the Viceroy's Palace.

 **. . .**

"So how's Nunnally?" Clovis asked as Lelouch relaxed in his seat across from his half-brother.

"Happy to be back and adjusting quickly. Everyone's treating her the same and she's glad for that. It makes her more comfortable," Lelouch said.

Clovis hummed. "And how about you?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I was medically cleared yesterday so I'm going to have to enlist as soon as possible," Lelouch said.

"I'm surprised Father decided to have you join the military," Clovis mused. "I would've thought that he would have you go into politics."

 _Like he would ever give me that much power,_ Lelouch thought scornfully. Politicians held a lot of power themselves, especially if they were good at their job like Schneizel was. Even if the Emperor probably would never give him that much power, Lelouch knew he had to prove himself more than just useful to the Emperor in order to protect Nunnally. The more he proved his worth the more Nunnally would be kept safe. That was what Lelouch figured. After all, the Emperor believed in the strong devouring the weak and Lelouch had to prove that he was strong if he wanted to protect the ones he cared about.

"I think I'll drop by and visit Nunnally while you're away," Clovis added.

"I'm sure she'll love that," Lelouch said, knowing full well that Nunnally would love visits from Clovis. He was one of their favorite half-brothers after all; he and Schneizel were the only ones of their half-brothers that Lelouch actually liked. He really couldn't stand the others.

"Also, I'm thinking that when you get out of basic training, we can have that party that I've been wanting to do since you came back. What better way to formally introduce you to the nobility here in Area 11?" Clovis added with a grin.

Lelouch cringed at the thought of attending a party full of noblemen and women too lost in their own little worlds to care about the world around them. "Is that really necessary, brother?" he asked.

"Of course it is! You'll need to learn to socially interact with nobility anyway so what better way to start?"

Lelouch grimaced at the thought but sighed since he could see the stubborn gleam in his brother's eyes. Clovis wasn't going to take no for an answer and Lelouch knew that, when it came to stubbornness, Clovis was matched by very few. _At least it's not for another nine weeks. Maybe I'll get lucky and Clovis will forget about it._

He doubted Clovis would forget but he could hope, right?

 **. . .**

 _April 11, 2016_

 _Basic Training Camp, Five Miles North of the Tokyo Settlement_

Almost a full month had gone by since Lelouch and Nunnally returned to Area 11 and Lelouch spent most of that time with his sister at Ashford Academy. He was beyond thankful that Clovis hadn't revealed that he was back in Area 11, otherwise he was sure he and Nunnally would be hounded by the media day and night.

Also, during the past three weeks, after he was medically cleared, Lelouch had worked hard at trying to get at least _somewhat_ in shape. He knew that if he didn't at least do that than basic training was going to be killer. As it was, he just _barely_ passed all the required physical tests that were necessary for him to begin basic training.

His Drill Sergeant, Sergeant Ethan Greene, was a lean man with sandy blonde hair and a scar running the length of his neck. While he greeted Lelouch with respect upon the young prince's arrival to the training camp, he made it clear that he didn't care that Lelouch was royalty.

"While you're here, you're just one of them other grunts. You won't be getting no special treatment from me," Greene stated firmly.

"Understood, sir," Lelouch said, keeping his voice level and his face expressionless.

"Then get to your barracks, recruit," Greene said.

"Yes, sir."

Finding the barracks wasn't that hard, though finding a free bunk was harder. It looked as though Lelouch was among the last to arrive since many of the bunks had already been filled. Scanning the area, he finally found one that was empty and made his way toward it, kneeling in front of the footlocker to put the stuff he had brought with him away.

"Hey!" A cheerful voice said and Lelouch glanced toward the source to find a young Japanese boy who looked around Lelouch's age with burnt-orange hair that spiked in all directions and gray eyes peering at him from the top bunk of the bunk bed next to his.

"Hello," Lelouch said neutrally, finishing putting his stuff away and closing the footlocker.

"I'm Tadashi Akiyama," the boy said. "And you are?"

"You don't watch the news, do you?" a soft voice said and Lelouch turned toward it to find a small boy that looked no older than thirteen seated cross-legged on the bottom bunk with a book open on his lap. He had short-cropped silvery-blue hair and midnight blue eyes.

"Tch, why would I? It's boring," Tadashi huffed.

The boy rolled his eyes and turned to Lelouch, closing his book and standing up. He barely reached Lelouch's chest and Lelouch briefly wondered why the military would allow someone so young to join. "Hello, Your Highness. I'm Kayden Frost but call me Kay," he said with a bow.

"You don't have to bow, Kay," Lelouch said. "And call me Lelouch. While I'm here, I'm not a prince, I'm just another recruit."

"All right, Lelouch," Kay said softly and returned to his bunk while Tadashi blinked in surprise and Lelouch moved to sit on his bunk.

"Whoa, you're a prince! What're you doing…whoa!" He had leaned too far over the edge of the bed to get a better look at Lelouch and toppled off it to land in a heap between the bunks. "Ow!"

A light laugh sounded at that moment and then a pale-blue haired girl that bore an unkindly resemblance to Kay flopped onto the bed beside him. Lelouch knew that the barracks were co-ed, though he hadn't seen very many women around before this girl.

"Did you push your poor bunkmate off his bunk already, Kay? It's not even the first day yet," she teased.

"That's something you would do," Kay said monotonously, his eyes fixated on his book again.

"No, I wouldn't," the girl said with a pout and then glanced at Tadashi. "Are you going to get up?"

"Nah, it's actually pretty comfortable down here," Tadashi said, lifting his head and then his eyes widened. "Whoa, you're very pretty."

"That's sweet," the girl said apathetically. "So, Kay, aren't ya gonna introduce me?"

"You're perfectly capable of introducing yourself," Kay said, still not taking his eyes off his book.

The girl huffed. "Fine," she said and turned to Tadashi and Lelouch. "I'm Rayne Frost, this idiot's sister."

"Nice to meet ya, pretty lady, I'm Tadashi Akiyama," Tadashi said brightly.

Rayne gave him a disinterested look and turned to Lelouch.

"I'm Lelouch," Lelouch said.

"I knew you looked familiar," Rayne said with a bright grin. "You're Marianne "the Flash"'s son, aren't you? You look like her. She was my idol growing up, y'know?"

Lelouch wasn't surprised by that. He knew that many people looked up to his mother. She was a commoner who rose through the ranks to become not only a Knight of the Round but also an Imperial Consort. She had many people who saw her as their idol, Cornelia was one of them.

"It's nice to meet you though, Your Highness," Rayne added.

"Just call me Lelouch," Lelouch said.

"Sure thing." Rayne leaned over and peered at the book Kay was reading. "You're reading _Hamlet_ again? Gees, how is it that you haven't memorized that play yet?"

"It's good," Kay said with a nonchalant shrug.

"It is a good play," Lelouch said. "It's actually my favorite out of all of his works."

"Really?" Kay looked up at Lelouch. "I personally prefer _A Midsummer's Night's Dream._ "

"Yeah, that's a good one too but I just better relate to _Hamlet,_ " Lelouch admitted.

"Mm."

Tadashi finally got to his feet and stretched, cracking his neck and gazing around. "Huh, looks like there ain't many more recruits. Man, I really was hoping that there'd be another Honorary Britannian around. I don't wanna be the only one in these barracks," he muttered. "I'm just glad that none of ya are treating me like crap 'cause I'm an Eleven." Without waiting for a response to that, he scanned the area again and then his eyes lit up. "Yes! I ain't the only Honorary Britannian here! Hey, you! Over here!" He waved toward the person who had just walked into the barracks.

Lelouch glanced toward it and was surprised when a _very_ familiar brunet with bright emerald green eyes made his way nervously over to join them. There was no denying that face and yet Lelouch was surprised that, of all people, _he_ would be there.

The boy had spotted him as well.

"Lelouch?" he said surprised.

"Suzaku?" Lelouch said also in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" They said at the exact same time.

Tadashi snickered. "Okay, I take it you know each other," he said.

"No, duh," Rayne said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, yeah, but it's been about six years since we last saw each other," Suzaku admitted, glancing at Tadashi before he returned to Lelouch. "But, wow, I wasn't expecting to see you here, Lelouch. I thought you'd gone to find the Ashfords after we separated."

"Long story," Lelouch admitted, not wanting to talk about in front of three people he had just met.

Suzaku must have understood that because he didn't push. Instead, he asked, "How's Nunnally? Oh, and do you mind if I take the top bunk?"

"That's fine and Nunnally's fine. She's attending Ashford Academy right now," Lelouch said.

"Glad she's doing all right," Suzaku said, walking over to the second footlocker and putting his stuff away.

"You got a sister?" Tadashi asked Lelouch. "I bet she's really hot!"

The vicious 'don't you dare get any ideas' death glare that Lelouch gave him had him cringing and backing away, his hands held up defensively.

"Ah, I didn't mean anything by that. Just, ah speaking without thinking. Yeah, I do that a lot," the burnt-orange-haired boy said quickly.

Suzaku snickered as he closed the footlocker. "Word of advice. Lelouch is extremely protective of his sister," he said.

"Thanks for letting me know _now_ ," Tadashi huffed.

Lelouch relaxed and turned his gaze to Suzaku again as the other boy stood up and, stretching, introduced himself to the others. _Why is Suzaku here? Why would he actually join the same military that destroyed his country? We had, along with Nunnally, nearly been killed by Britannia and yet Suzaku's serving them?_

He didn't have any answers to those questions but resolved to get some as soon as he could.

He was relieved that Suzaku hadn't been killed when they had gone their separate ways though and was happy that his first and best friend was there. It might make basic training more bearable.

 **. . .**

Suzaku Kururugi lay on the top bunk of the bunkbed within the barracks. Light's out had been called and the following day they would start basic training and Suzaku knew he should get some rest. He didn't know if he could though since he had too much on his mind and what was on the forefronts of his mind was Lelouch.

He had been more than a little surprised when he had come across his old friend here of all places. He had never expected _Lelouch_ , of all people, to join the military. Not only did he have very little stamina and physical strength when they had first met, and it didn't look like that had changed, but Suzaku knew that Lelouch didn't particularly like Britannia, which was putting it mildly.

 _Someday, I will destroy Britannia._

Those words had been the last thing that Lelouch had told Suzaku before they had gone their separate ways and the Japanese boy had no idea if he still desired to do that. It seemed unlikely since Lelouch was actually in the military.

That just brought about the question: what was Lelouch doing there? He had said that it was a long story when Suzaku asked and Suzaku knew something had to have happened. He resolved to ask Lelouch as soon as they could get a private moment.

Rolling onto his side, Suzaku thought about his own reasons for joining the army. He had done so partially because he didn't know what else to do. He had no family to go to since his mother had disowned him after the invasion ended, his father was dead—Suzaku shivered at the memory of _that_ particular incident. Even if he felt he was doing the right thing in stopping the do-or-die resistance, he still felt incredibly guilty—and anyone who might have helped him had gone into hiding or had been killed.

But he had also joined because he hoped that he could change Britannia from within; the system needed to be changed so that Numbers were no longer discriminated against, so that everyone could have the chance to be what they wanted to be. He wanted to change many things, especially for Area 11. He was planning on rising in the ranks to become the Knight of One; then, since the Knight of One was given one area to control, he would claim Area 11 as his area.

That was his goal.

He didn't know how he would obtain it but he would. He wanted to free Japan, yes, but he didn't want to be like those terrorists. Those terrorists were just spreading violence and destruction. Violence wasn't the answer; it would just continue the cycle of hatred and nothing would ever change.

But if he worked with the system, Suzaku was sure that it could work out.

He rolled onto his back and gazed up at the ceiling of the barracks, curling an arm under his head and tried to relax. He needed sleep, especially since they would be starting basic training in the morning.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: short chapter and, yes, there wasn't much interaction between Suzaku and Lelouch. There will be more in the next chapter but three important OCs have been introduced. Their characters will be developed throughout the course of the story and we will receive looks into their backstories in the prologues before the chapters begin, starting with the next chapter**

 **Bakura: and?**

 **Blaze: oh and fair warning. I actually did some research on how military training went and while I got what is done down, the interactions between characters may not seem very realistic and I am sorry about this. I did try my best but this next section isn't so much about the military training as the establishment of bonds between my characters and the start of development for my OC characters**

 **Bakura: whatever**

 **Blaze: oh go blow something up**

 **Bakura: (grins and takes off to go blow something up)**

 **Lloyd: don't you dare _touch_ my _Lancelot_! (Chases after Bakura)**

 **Suzaku: okay then. When's the next chapter gonna be posted?**

 **Blaze: next week sometime, or the week after that. I don't really know. It just depends.**

 **Lelouch: what about _Divergence_?**

 **Blaze: I'm not exactly satisfied with my version of the Refrain episode so I'm gonna go back and rewrite it and I have no idea how long that'll take**

 **Lelouch: oh**

 **Blaze: well, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, even if it was short, and reviews, as always, are much appreciated**


	5. The First Week of Training

**First off, I did my best to make the military training realistic while also keeping in humor, character development, and the start of the formation of bonds. I did do my research on what is done during military training (focusing on US Army Boot Camp Training) though.**

 **Second off, about Tara's Geass. I call it an Irregular Geass in that it effects the world itself rather than the mind and has more deadly consequences (like Rolo's Geass freezes time and puts a strain on Rolo's heart if he uses it too much. If this isn't canon, I'm sorry but that's just the way I saw it and I'm sticking to it). It may seem op but it's not. It just looks that way since it's only used in a single chapter, wasn't seen through the user's POV, and hasn't been fully explored (which it will when we get to ARC III, though I will touch on it in ARC II). This was in response to an anonymous review since I couldn't PM them to respond to the statement myself.**

 **Anyway, that's all I can think of right now. I'm pretty sure there's something else that I needed to say here but I can't remember what it is.**

 **Thank you to _Blacksword Zero, DYnoJackal19, Shimmering-Sky, PiroWolfxL, Shadow-Shinobi666, David Davtyan, ewertondragon, Miraculous Messiah, HufflepuffKat, davycrockett100,_ and _squeegywing_ for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

 **I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _January 22, 2016_

 _Sapporo, Hokkaido, Area 11_

 _It was early afternoon and the city of Sapporo was bustling with business. It made trying to get through the crowd all the harder for Tadashi Akiyama and his family. They were currently heading toward a nearby marketplace to pick some groceries. Unlike in other places throughout Area 11, Sapporo actually allowed Elevens to work without having to apply for Honorary Britannian status, though the jobs they got were usually jobs that none of the Britannians wanted. Tadashi's mother was a janitor at a clothing store while his father was a construction worker, though his father was an Honorary Britannian so he, at least, got some better benefits._

 _At least, that was how he had explained the matter to Tadashi and his little brother Fuyuki when he was trying to convince Tadashi to apply for Honorary Britannian citizenship. Tadashi was considering it, though he didn't know why he wanted to; the only thing that such a status would give him was a chance at getting a job better than most Elevens in Sapporo or join the military. Unfortunately, Tadashi doubted he would make it very far in the latter; not only was he not the most active person—his brother called him lazy—but he also didn't exactly have the patience to go through basic training. He also wasn't entirely sure he wanted to fight for Britannia anyway._

 _"So what're we getting again?" Fuyuki asked, turning to gaze at his mother. At fifteen, Fuyuki was taller than their mother, something their father always teased his wife about, with her dirty blonde hair, though the brothers shared their eye color._

 _"I'm thinking just things for dinner for now. We can come back for fruit, breads, and snacks. I don't have much on me," their mother said as they walked past a group of Britannians who glared at them but said nothing._

 _"I can get some fruit but that's about it. I spent most of my check on the rent," their dad said._

 _"Can we get cantaloupe?" Tadashi asked. He loved cantaloupe. Actually, he loved all sorts of melons._

 _"Oh and strawberries?" Fuyuki asked._

 _"All right," their dad said with a small smile._

 _They wandered around the marketplace, looking at the various foods that were being sold. The marketplace was crowded and it was rather difficult to get through the crowds. Fuyuki grabbed Tadashi's hand to avoid getting separated as they meandered their way after their parents._

 _It was then that everything went to hell in a hand basket._

 _An explosion erupted in the center of the crowd, causing a spray of blood and body parts from those unfortunate enough to be at the heart of the blast. Screams erupted from the crowd and they began surging toward the side streets and alleys that would take them out of the marketplace, unintentionally separating Tadashi and Fuyuki from their parents. However, that was when a series of gunshots could be heard and Tadashi turned toward the source, grabbing Fuyuki, and watching as men and women in green and dark gray military uniforms with rifles or handguns in their hands charged the crowd._

 _"Tadashi! Fuyuki!"_

 _Tadashi quickly turned toward the sound of his mother's yell and bolted toward her, dragging his little brother behind him. Fuyuki stumbled but kept on running; both of them were pale with fright at the chaos that was surrounding them. Bodies were falling, riddled with bullets, and staining the ground with blood._

 _Tadashi ducked past an older couple that were bolting for a side alley and finally managed to reach his mother. His mother drew both Tadashi and his brother into her arms and cradled them close._

 _"Where's Dad?" Fuyuki asked, his voice muffled since his face was pressed into their mother's stomach._

 _"Looking for you. He lost sight of you when the explosion happened," their mother said as she released them. "C'mon, we need to get out of here. Your father will find us later." She then grabbed them and dragged them behind a food stand, just as a series of bullets came flying in their direction. Pushing them behind the food stand, she peered out around it, chewing on her lower lip, a habit that Tadashi had picked up on._

 _The onesided firefight stopped and Tadashi peered out around his mother, noting that there was no one left standing._

 _"Who are they?" Fuyuki asked._

 _"Terrorists, probably," their mother said._

 _"I heard something. There are some witnesses left here," one of the terrorists said._

 _"Remember what the boss said. There can't be any witnesses. We can't afford to have word of what's happened here reach Prince Clovis's ears," another of the terrorists said and boots tapped against the bloodstained ground as the terrorists walked toward them._

 _Their mother swore and quickly looked around for an escape route, only to find that the alley behind them led to a dead end and there was no cover, aside from the food stand, in sight._

 _Fuyuki swallowed and Tadashi gritted his teeth, feeling his own fear well up inside him as the two terrorists reached them._

 _"Ah, it's an Eleven. Guess we don't gotta worry 'bout her and her brats telling Prince Clovis," the first terrorist mused._

 _"Kill them," the second terrorist said._

 _"But…"_

 _"The boss wants_ no _witnesses, no matter if they're Eleven or not."_

 _"Yes, sir."_

 _Tadashi quickly put himself in front of his little brother protectively and noticed his mother doing the same to him._

 _The first terrorist pointed his gun at Tadashi's mother and fired, hitting her between the eyes._

 _"Mom!" Tadashi and Fuyuki cried at the same time, watching in sadness as their mother's body crumpled in a pool of her own blood._

 _"Get rid of the kids next," the second terrorist said._

 _"They're just kids," the first terrorist began._

 _"Doesn't matter. Get rid of…" The rest of his sentence was lost when two gunshots sounded and Tadashi watched as both terrorists fell with bullet wounds in their heads. He turned toward the source to find his dad running towards them with two Britannian soldiers, who were holstering their guns, running behind him._

They…saved us? Britannians saved us? _He thought in confusion as his father reached him and drew both him and his little brother into his arms._

 **. . .**

 **5**

 **The First Week of Training**

 _April 12, 2016_

 _Barracks, Basic Training Camp_

Tadashi was in the middle of a very good dream. He was dreaming that he was surfing on a beach, winking at blushing, giggling gorgeous girls in bikinis and waving at them. The sun beat down on him as he surfed, his grin widening as he caught sight of the large wave that was heading his way. Even if, in real life, he never surfed, in dreams, anything could happen and Tadashi has always wanted to learn how to surf ever since he saw his dad do it while they were visiting relatives in the Chinese Federation six years earlier.

He grinned to himself as he prepared to surf the large wave when, suddenly, his surfboard was yanked from beneath his feet by an invisible force. With a yelp, Tadashi was sent flailing into the water. Only, instead of a splash and the cold water drenching him, Tadashi met the unforgiving stone floor.

"Ow!" Tadashi exclaimed and sitting up, blinking the sleep out of his eyes and looking around for the culprit that had, so rudely, yanked him out of his very pleasant dream. "Okay, who yanked me off my bunk?"

"You did," Kay said dryly. "You literally rolled off your bunk in your sleep."

Tadashi blinked and noticed that he was still wrapped up in his blankets and, now that the sleep was starting to fade from his mind, he realized that he hadn't felt anyone grab him. "Oh," he said.

"That's one way to wake up," Rayne noted as she walked over to join them. She was already dressed in her gray military training uniform. She was followed by a pretty blonde girl with a dancer's body and brown eyes that were eyeing him with disapproval.

"Glad I have your approval," Tadashi said, pushing himself to his feet and rubbing his eyes as he took in everyone around him. Rayne, the new girl, Kay, Suzaku, and Lelouch were already ready for the day whereas Tadashi was still in his pajamas.

"Um, how much time do I have?" he asked.

"Ten minutes," Kay said.

Swearing, Tadashi, after quickly grabbing his uniform from his footlocker, bolted for the bathroom, cursing the fact that he had slept in on his first day of basic training. _Nice going, Tadashi. Didn't Dad tell you that being late was a surefire way to get you kicked out, you stupid moron?_ He thought to himself as he disappeared into the bathroom.

After doing his business, he quickly got changed and splashed some water on his face to wash away the traces of sleep. His hair he would have to leave as is since he really didn't have the time to make it look even somewhat presentable.

Bolting out of the bathroom, Tadashi nearly tripped over his own two feet in his haste to get back to his bunk and get his area somewhat presentable. According to his dad, the Drill Sergeant sometimes did inspections and Tadashi didn't want them to think he wasn't taking this seriously.

Because he was taking this seriously.

It was the only way he could repay the kindness that Britannia had exuded him, his brother, and his father and it was the only way he could avenge the murder of his mother

When those terrorists had attacked that marketplace at Sapporo a few months ago and killed Tadashi's mother, it was because of those two Britannian soldiers with his father that he was still alive. He owed it to them and even said so but the Britannian soldiers had just said that they were doing the right thing.

 _"Not all Britannians are prejudiced and discriminatory, despite common belief."_

 _"It's our job, as military men, to protect people like you, people who can't protect themselves."_

It was those words, along with his desire to avenge his mother, which sealed Tadashi's decision to join the military. He wanted to be like the two Britannian soldiers who saved his and his little brother's lives; he wanted to protect people who couldn't protect themselves.

But, in order to accomplish that goal, he had to make it through basic training and he wasn't doing a very good job of making a good first impression, he realized with a grimace. _I've really gotta work on that,_ he thought.

"So what're we doing first today anyway?" he asked once he finished tidying up his bunk and footlocker to the best with the minute or so he had.

"Classroom instruction," Kay said. "Rules, regulations, that kind of thing."

"Don't forget the physical fitness test," Rayne said.

Lelouch seemed to pale at that. "I thought we got those out of the way before we even started," he said.

"It's necessary in the first week. It probably won't be until the end of the week though," Kay said.

"Speaking of physical fitness tests, just how did you pass yours, Lelouch? Did you finally build up your stamina? 'Cause, last I checked, you had less stamina than a snail," Suzaku teased.

"Shut up, you exercise nut," Lelouch shot back.

Suzaku just chuckled.

"Wait, wait, wait, did you say _classroom instruction_?" Tadashi asked, recalling that was the first thing Kay had said.

"Yeah, it's necessary to go over rules, regulations and so on," Rayne said. "Oh, by the way, you weren't here but this is my bunkmate Lila Moore."

Tadashi completely forgot about the upcoming classroom instruction portion of basic training as he recalled the pretty girl he had seen when he woke up. "Hello there, pretty lady! I'm Tadashi Akiyama," he said brightly, holding out a hand to Lila.

Lila gazed at him with a cool, expressionless eyes and didn't respond but she did, at least, shake his hand, which he counted as a win in his books.

The group headed toward the entrance with the rest of the crowd of recruits. Tadashi fell back to walk alongside Suzaku, feeling more comfortable around an Honorary Britannian like him, even if he was walking alongside an Imperial Prince.

Tadashi still found it surprising that an Imperial Prince would be _there_ of all places but decided that he didn't care. Lelouch seemed nice enough, didn't look down on Tadashi just because he was an Eleven, and even seemed to be friends with another Eleven so he was all right in Tadashi's books.

"So where do ya come from, Suzaku?" Tadashi asked conversationally.

"Oh, here and there," Suzaku said vaguely, averting his eyes. "What about you?"

"I'm from Sapporo," Tadashi admitted and pushed the memory of the last time he had been in the largest settlement on Hokkaido, maintaining a smile to hide the surge of sadness that he always felt when he thought about his hometown. Especially the memories associated with both it and his mother.

"So do you have any siblings, Suzaku?" Tadashi asked, hoping to keep the conversation alive as they left the barracks and headed toward the mess hall.

"No. You?"

"Yeah, I've got a little brother. The annoying runt's name's Fuyuki," Tadashi said, smiling as he thought about his brother. Fuyuki may not have liked Tadashi's decision to apply to be an Honorary Britannian or his decision to join the military but, when Tadashi had explained his reasoning, Fuyuki had just hugged him and told him to be careful.

 _"And avenge Mom, Tadashi. Please, avenge her."_

 _I will, little brother,_ Tadashi thought in determination. _Someway, somehow, I will._

 **. . .**

 _April 13, 2016_

 _Basic Training Camp_

It was times like these that Lelouch was grateful that he was a quick learner and a genius at that. There was a reason why he was able to maintain such high grades at Ashford Academy despite constantly slacking off and skipping classes to go gambling with Rivalz. Of course, no one really understood how he did that but Lelouch figured an eidetic memory definitely helped.

Still, that didn't make the classroom instruction any less boring and it was even stricter since they were actively looking out for anyone slacking in the classroom. Lelouch had to force himself to stay awake, despite only having about five hours of sleep the night before, because he knew he couldn't afford to mess up, not when Nunnally's safety was on the line.

He noticed Suzaku was paying rapt attention to the instructor, jotting down notes every now and then but mostly just listening to what the instructor said. Kay was just listening nearby while Tadashi looked like he was sleeping with his eyes open. Lelouch smirked at that; he had perfected the art of sleeping in class without getting caught but Tadashi was doing pretty well.

He wondered just how long it would before he got caught, especially since he could hear a snore leaving his lips every now and then.

Lila and Rayne were seated just behind them, also paying attention to the instructor, taking notes in Lila's case or just listening in Rayne's.

Lelouch may have only known these four people since the day before but they seemed nice enough. He would keep his eye on them though, just in case they showcased something that may prove useful.

The young prince wasn't an idiot, far from it really, and he knew that he couldn't just rely on Schneizel's allies if he wanted to make a name for himself and gain the prestige that he needed to gain in order to prove he was _useful_ to the Emperor. He needed his own set of allies as well.

Especially if he wanted to destroy the Emperor and the Britannian system from within as he had decided was his new course.

He may not hate the Britannian people, and certainly not any of his half-siblings—he could never hate Euphie or Cornelia and especially not Nunnally—but he certainly hated the Social Darwinism that the system of Britannia had been based on. And, naturally, he hated the Emperor.

He cast a sidelong glance at Suzaku. _Why did you join, Suzaku?_ He thought and resolved to ask during lunch.

"Recruit Akiyama! Pay attention!" The instructor stated loudly.

"42!" Tadashi exclaimed, jolting out of his sleep and then blushing in embarrassment when he realized what he just said, and that he had probably pissed off the instructor, though he did receive a few amused smirks from a few of his fellow recruits.

"Forty laps around the building, recruit, now!" the instructor ordered sharply.

"Yes, sir," Tadashi said glumly, got to his feet and left the classroom. Lelouch glanced out the window just in time to see the burnt-orange-haired teen jog past on his first lap.

Later, in the mess hall, Lelouch and Suzaku found a table away from the rest of the recruits. It wasn't that hard; even if the recruits wanted to get close to the recently-returned-to-life prince, they didn't seem too keen about sharing a table with an Honorary Britannian. Thus, they were left alone.

"I wonder how sore Tadashi's gonna be after all those laps coupled with the physical fitness warm-ups we just had to do," Suzaku mused, poking at whatever the hell was on their plates that the cook thought was food.

Lelouch shrugged, sipping at his water and not even bothering on trying the…whatever was on his plate. "Who knows? By the way, Suzaku, can I ask you something?" he said.

"Sure," Suzaku said.

"Why…?"

"Hey! Can we join you?" Rayne's voice said, interrupting Lelouch mid-question and he turned to find Rayne and Lila standing behind him with their trays in their hands.

"I don't mind. What do you say, Lelouch?" Suzaku said, glancing at Lelouch who just sighed and waved a hand toward a few of the empty seats.

Rayne smiled and sat down with Lila sitting just beside her. "What the heck is this stuff supposed to be anyway?" she asked, her smile fading into a grimace as she poked at the slop on her tray.

"It doesn't taste _that_ bad," Suzaku admitted, having already taking a few bites of the slop.

"It better not start moving on its own," Rayne muttered.

"It's food. Food doesn't move on its own," Lila deadpanned, taking a small bite of the slop.

"Yeah, _food_ doesn't. I'm not sure this counts as food."

Suzaku turned to Lelouch as Rayne, reluctantly, ate a few, tiny bites of the slop. "So what'd you want to ask me?" he asked.

"I wanted to ask…" Lelouch was interrupted, again, by Tadashi's familiar voice.

"Hiya, Lelouch, we can join ya, right?" He said, flopping down into a seat next to Lelouch who glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. He noted that Tadashi looked exhausted but was still wearing a bright, cheerful smile on his face.

"Considering you're already sitting down, I suppose," he said dryly.

Kay rolled his eyes as he sat down on Rayne's other side. "We only came to ask because we couldn't find any empty tables," he explained quietly.

"So how do ya think you're gonna do on the fitness test?" Tadashi asked before Lelouch could respond to Kay's words.

"You never did answer my question from yesterday either, Lelouch. How did you pass the preliminary tests to get here?" Suzaku asked curiously.

Lelouch didn't respond.

"I'm pretty confident that I'm gonna pass," Suzaku added when it became obvious Lelouch wasn't going to answer him.

"Of course you will, you exercise nut," Lelouch said with a smirk.

Suzaku rolled his eyes at Lelouch. "Real original, Lelouch," he said.

"If it works."

"I think I will too," Rayne said thoughtfully. "It doesn't seem like it'll be that hard."

"Same here," Tadashi said. "But, man, I'm exhausted from those laps I had to run this morning as well as that warm-up."

"That was your own fault. If you had only acted more professional, you wouldn't have been in that predicament," Lila scolded dispassionately.

"It's not like I meant to fall asleep," Tadashi huffed, sulking a little.

Suzaku smiled a little and then glanced at Lelouch. "So what were you gonna ask me?" he asked. "Sorry, I got distracted by the conversation."

"Right, I was going to…" Lelouch was interrupted, _yet again_ , by the appearance of another person. He was starting to become irritated with all these interruptions.

"Excuse me, Your Highness, but may I sit here?" A soft voice said and Lelouch turned toward it to find a tall, broad-shouldered, and muscular young man with short-cropped olive-green hair and hazel eyes.

"Go ahead," Lelouch said, masking his irritation with a bored tone. "And you don't have to call me that. It's just Lelouch." He still wasn't that used to being called 'Your Highness' even after over a month of being addressed like that.

"Thank you, Your Highness," the young man said as he sat down on Tadashi's other side. "I am Dimitri Duncan."

"It's nice to meet you, Dimitri and, seriously, just call me Lelouch," the prince said, and took another sip of his water as the others around him introduced themselves to the newcomer. Dimitri inclined his head to them in greeting.

Lelouch then turned to Suzaku who was watching him questioningly.

"I wanted to ask you…" Lelouch began again.

The bell ending the lunch break rang.

 _Oh come on!_

 **. . .**

 _April 14, 2016_

 _Outside the Barracks, Basic Training Camp_

Suzaku had to admit that the first two days of basic training had gone by pretty quickly and they hadn't really done much, other than going over the main rules and regulations for men and women in the military. Many of those rules and regulations weren't that hard to remember and Suzaku kept them in mind. If he wanted to rise in the ranks and prove to everyone around him that he could do it then he would need to know that information.

He noticed that Lelouch was still a genius and able to quickly learn the rules, though the exercises they did and the warm-ups for the fitness test proved that he still didn't exactly have much stamina. His stamina was less than that of a snail and it hadn't gotten much better; at the very least, the exercises weren't that strenuous yet.

He followed Lelouch as the black-haired prince led him out of the barracks where they could have some privacy to talk. While he was getting along great with Kay, Rayne, Tadashi, and Lila, he suspected that what Lelouch wanted to talk to him about was something that wasn't for just anyone's ears. He wondered if it had to do with what happened six years ago but thinking about six years ago led to him thinking about his father and that was something he didn't want to relive.

He would always carry the guilt of killing his father, of staining his hands with the blood of the man he respected, the man who sired and loved him, on his shoulders, so he didn't want to relive what happened.

Suzaku had only done it because he didn't want any more innocent people to die. The do-or-die resistance that his father was about to call would have led to thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people dying. And, while people still died, Japan's surrender had prevented many more. And he had done it because he knew not all Britannians were bad people; Lelouch and Nunnally were prime examples of that.

Suzaku wondered. _If I had never met Lelouch and Nunnally, would I have still killed my father?_ He thought but pushed the thought out of his mind. _What if_ s weren't something that he should focus on; he should focus on the present, not on the past.

Even if he was still chasing his own punishment for the death of his father and thought that the military would grant it.

That was one reason why Suzaku had joined the military, though it was a small one compared with his desire to work within the system in order to change it from the inside. His main goal may seem like a large goal but Suzaku had to try.

Once they got out of earshot of the other recruits, Lelouch turned to face Suzaku. "So why did you join the military anyway, Suzaku?" he asked.

Suzaku sighed and leaned against the wall behind him, deciding to just go with the truth, mostly. "Because I don't agree with the system and I think it needs to be changed. I believe that I can change it from within if I work my way up through the ranks," he said.

Lelouch stared at him like he had grown a second head and Suzaku shifted, defensively thinking that it was a good plan, even if Lelouch didn't seem to agree with him. Then he seemed to gain a thoughtful gleam in his eyes and the surprise faded. Suzaku blinked, wondering just what his friend was thinking about, though the cool smirk that crossed his lips made him shiver just a little.

"It seems we share a similar goal," he mused casually.

Suzaku blinked. "Huh?"

"I want to change the system too," Lelouch said. "I don't agree with it. Nunnally would never fit in a society where the strong devour the weak after all and neither would anyone who wasn't fully Britannian."

"Exactly!" Suzaku said, glad that his friend agreed with him.

Lelouch continued to study him. "Though how do you plan on accomplishing this goal?" he asked.

So Suzaku told him about his decision to become the Knight of One and claim Area 11 as his area so that he could start changing things for his people. When he was finished, Lelouch was silent, his eyes impassive.

"An ambitious goal," he noted.

"I'm sure that if I work with the system and through the ranks then I can do it," Suzaku said. "I don't want to be like those terrorists that are cropping up everywhere."

Lelouch nodded in absent agreement, his eyes taking on a thoughtful look that Suzaku often saw come over his face whenever he was facing a particularly challenging opponent in a chess match at the Kururugi Shrine.

 _You haven't changed that much, Lelouch,_ Suzaku thought.

 **. . .**

 _April 16, 2016_

 _Basic Training Camp_

The Physical Fitness Test took place on the sixteenth and Tadashi had to admit he was a bit nervous. He was never good with tests, though that was primarily because he wasn't a good student period. Primary school had been a breeze to get through but the homeschooling that his parents had tried to give him after the invasion had been a nightmare. He always got bored quickly and always did his homework the day, or sometimes when he was feeling particularly lazy, the hour before it was due. It was a miracle that his parents hadn't given up on him, but he supposed that proved that they cared.

At the very least, the physical fitness test wasn't going to be a written test. Those he sucked at. It seemed like it was going to be more physical and, despite being lazy—something that he was slowly changing now that he was in boot camp—Tadashi was confident that he would pass.

The test was consisted of three events that didn't seem like they would be that hard: push-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run. While Tadashi wasn't looking forward to the push-ups, since he really didn't have that much strength in his arms, he was sure he could still get the designated amount in order to pass.

He did have to wonder about Lelouch though. The prince was so thin that it didn't seem like he had much if any muscles, though he, at least, seemed able to keep up with the warm-ups from the previous days, barely.

The Honorary Britannians went last for all three events, which found Tadashi and Suzaku near the back of the line, watching the Britannians ahead of them. Funny enough, Lelouch ended up going first and, judging by the brief flashing of his eyes, he wasn't happy. Still, he managed to make the minimum number of push-ups necessary in two minutes.

"At least he didn't pass out," Suzaku murmured under his breath but Tadashi heard him and barely contained his snort of amusement.

"You think he would have?" he asked.

"It was possible, though I think it might be more likely during the two-mile run," Suzaku said.

It took the better part of the next two hours before it was Tadashi's turn and he was happy when he walked away with having done fifty push-ups, which was just above the minimum number needed. When he saw that Suzaku had done the maximum number in no time, he was starting to think that Lelouch was right about Suzaku being an exercise nut.

The second event was sit-ups and Tadashi passed those with flying colors and then came the two-mile run.

He found out, during that event, that Kay was _fast_. He was easily keeping pace with Suzaku at the very head of the group of recruits as they ran and only looked slightly out of breath. Tadashi, himself, was smack in the middle of the bulk of recruits along with Lila and Rayne. Dimitri was a little behind them as was Lelouch, the latter of whom was just barely keeping up with the bulk by the time they completed the first mile.

Suzaku and Kay finished the two-mile in 13:07 and 13:09 minutes respectively while Tadashi was among the majority whose final time was around 14:00 minutes.

"Well, I did better than I thought I would," he commented, drinking a large gulp of water as he stretched in the cool-down area with the rest of the recruits that had arrived. "Though I honestly didn't know you were that fast, Kay."

Kay shrugged nonchalantly, looking faintly embarrassed. "Suzaku finished before me," he said softly.

"By two seconds," Suzaku said.

Lelouch, out of breath and looking about ready to pass out, made his way over to join them. "I…hate…running," he managed to get out as he took the water bottle Suzaku handed him and swallowed a gulp of water.

"You hate exercise period, Lelouch," Suzaku said.

"Not…everyone can…be an…exercise nut," Lelouch muttered, taking a couple of deep breaths when he wasn't drinking his water.

"Hey, at least ya passed. Good job!" Tadashi said brightly, slapping Lelouch on the back in congratulations.

Lelouch coughed and Tadashi winced. "Whoops. Didn't realize you were drinking, sorry, Lelouch," he said.

Lelouch waved away the apology as he finished coughing and focused on getting his breath back.

"You should treat His Highness with more respect," Dimitri, who had arrived some time before Lelouch, stated firmly, glaring at Tadashi.

"I said sorry, yeesh," the burnt-orange-haired boy said with a huff and turned to Lelouch. "We're good, right?"

Lelouch smiled a little and nodded.

 **. . .**

 _April 17, 2016_

 _Mess Hall, Basic Training Camp_

It was the last day of the first week and Lelouch was seated at a table in the mess hall during breakfast with Suzaku and the others that he had met over the course of the last week. Poking at the slop that was on his plate, he looked up when his name was called.

"You've got mail, vi Britannia," the mail carrier said, handing Lelouch a letter that had a small package tied to it.

Thanking the carrier, Lelouch immediately removed and opened the letter. It was the first one he had received from his little sister since he arrived at the camp.

 _Dear Big Brother,_

 _I'm sorry that I haven't written since you left but I've been busy with homework, schoolwork, working with the student council, and the like. We just had the annual spring festival and Milly had the entire student council working overtime to get everything ready in time and I offered to help to speed along the process._

 _I hope you're doing all right, Big Brother, and I miss you. I know it's only been a week but I can't wait until basic training is over and you can come home._

 _Everyone says hi and they're looking forward to when you come home as well._

 _Things are going good for me. Everyone is still treating me the same and I'm glad for that. I really didn't want everyone to start treating me differently just because they now know I'm a princess._

 _Clovis has been visiting a lot too. He even painted a new painting with me and the student council in front of the clubhouse. It's on display in the meeting room and, as usual, it's amazing. I really think that Clovis could become a famous artist if he wanted to._

 _Well, I'd better end this letter now. I sent along something that I'm sure you'll remember, though I changed the picture._

 _I love you, Big Brother._

 _Nunnally_

With the letter was a small wrapped package in the shape of a square. Putting down the letter, Lelouch unwrapped the package, smiling a little when he recognized the origami frame, though the picture was a recent one of him and Nunnally during Nunnally's birthday the year before. The frame, with another picture in it, was the present that Nunnally had, with Suzaku's help, made for him for his tenth birthday. He had left it behind at the academy mostly because he didn't think about grabbing it.

"Remember this, Suzaku?" he asked, holding out the picture frame.

Suzaku glanced at it and nodded. "Yeah, I helped Nunnally make it," he said and smiled a little. "And I think that was when we decided to give each other a chance."

"Better late than never," Lelouch said dryly.

Suzaku chuckled. "So how's she doing?" he asked as Lelouch put the picture frame down and folded the letter up before putting it back in its envelope, half-aware of Tadashi leaning over to look at the picture.

"She's doing fine, just been busy, which was why she hasn't written until now," Lelouch said.

"Man, your sister really is hot," Tadashi said with a whistle.

Lelouch's face turned cold as he gave a vicious death glare to the burnt-orange-haired boy next to him.

Tadashi let out a little _eep_ and bolted to the other side of the table.

Kay facepalmed. "Idiot," he murmured.

"I did warn him," Suzaku said with a sigh.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: like I've already said, the rest of this arc focuses not so much on the military training but rather on the bonds created between characters and the development of characters, no matter if they're OC or canon**

 **Bakura: and that's why it probably doesn't seem realistic**

 **Blaze: basically speaking, it's a rather humorous take on military training since it starts getting darker starting in ARC II**

 **Bakura: yeah, yeah, anyway, what else do you have to say?**

 **Blaze: I'm sure there was something else but I can't seem to remember whatever**

 **Bakura: tch, you'd forget your own head if it wasn't attached**

 **Blaze: I would protest but you're probably right**

 **Lelouch: so are we going to be getting more on Tara soon? I've been meaning to ask about that power of hers**

 **Blaze: her power and the consequences linked with it are explored in later chapters**

 **Lelouch: oh okay**

 **Blaze: I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated**


	6. Unarmed Combat and First-Aid

**Here's the second chapter of military training, along with more info on Rayne and Kay Frost, and includes a look into Kallen's, Shirley's, and Nunnally's perspective so that's good. It's also 14 pages long single spaced so that's good, right?**

 **Some humor in this chapter, though not much. Some angst and some assholes that I really wanted to slap or punch in the face while I was writing this chapter...Yeah, I'll say nothing beyond that.**

 **By the way, in case anyone's curious, I'm working on a new _Code Geass_ story that is like a reverse of the canon timeline with everyone's role switched with that of another character and the switches aren't what you would think.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 **So, yeah, anyway, since that has absolutely to do with this story—and, frankly, I have no idea why I mentioned it—I'm just gonna go on to thanking my reviewers.**

 **Thank you to _Shimmering-Sky, Dragon Silhouette, davycrockett100, ewerntondragon, KK,_ and _Shadow-Shinobi666_ for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are great.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter and, as usual, reviews are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _September 20, 2008_

 _Frost Manor, Pendragon_

 _Scowling at the overcast sky, Rayne Frost flopped ungracefully into a cushioned armchair, her arms crossed across her chest and a pout on her face. She hated the rain, she always had, and she was bored out of her mind. Her parents were busy entertaining a few noble guests with Gretchen, Matthias, and Parker but Rayne and her brother hadn't been invited to join in for some reason._

 _She didn't understand though. Parker was allowed to join and he was only eleven, two years older than Rayne and her twin. She glanced toward her brother, Kayden, who was curled up in an armchair, a large book opened on his lap. "What you reading?" she asked._

 _"A story," Kayden said absently, too engrossed in his book to really pay attention to Rayne._

 _She huffed. "That tells me nothing," she complained and then glared at the door to the library. "Why couldn't we be with Mom, Dad, and everyone else?"_

 _Kayden shrugged._

 _"You know what? I'm gonna go find out," Rayne said and hopped off the armchair before leaving the library, ignoring her brother's quiet warning that she would get in trouble if she was caught. She didn't care because she was curious. Besides, if she was caught then that would mean her parents were paying attention to her and that they actually cared._

 _She crept down the hallway, her bare feet moving silently over the thick carpet. She made her way down the stairs and headed toward the dining room where her siblings, her parents, and their guest were supposedly gathered._

 _"It really is an honor to have you visit, General," her mother said and Rayne peered into the dining room as a maid served a tall man with dark-green hair in a military outfit. She noticed that it was just the man and her mother and wondered briefly where her siblings were._

 _"Thank you," the man, the General, said and sipped at his tea. "Why wouldn't I visit some of my oldest friends, Becca? Where's your husband?"_

 _"Oh, he's having tea with Duke Hartford. He'll be joining us soon," her mother said._

 _"So I hear your daughter has decided to join the military," the General said._

 _Her mother beamed happily. "We're so proud of her decision. We know she'll make a fine soldier, maybe even a Knight of the Round," she said._

 _The General laughed. "She is as ambitious as her mother," he teased._

 _"She's my pride and joy," her mother said proudly. "The best daughter a mother could ask for."_

 _"Don't you have another daughter?"_

 _"Well, yeah, but she's not gonna amount to much," her mother said dismissively._

 _Rayne frowned at that, feeling hurt by her mother's words._

 _"She's such a troublemaker! Always getting into trouble. Did you know that she actually purposely poured wine on Duchess Murson's dress last week?" her mother added._

 _The General sipped at his tea. "Have you ever considered that she's just doing it to get attention?" he asked._

 _Her mother huffed. "Her reasons don't matter. Her actions reflect badly upon us. Gretchen never, in her entire life, acted like such a hooligan," she said with a shake of her head. "You know, after Parker was born, Victor and I didn't want any more children."_

 _Rayne felt like she had been punched in the gut._ Does this mean that Kayden and I are mistakes? _She thought sadly._

 _"Marrying Rayne off when she turns sixteen will probably be the best bet. Hopefully, she won't sully our name too much before then and hopefully her husband will be able to handle someone as rambunctious as her. Maybe she'll calm down by then," her mother added thoughtfully._

 _"Matthias told me that Rayne's a pretty good fighter," the General said. "Have you thought about her joining the military?"_

 _"Hmph, it'd be better for our name if she gets married off," her mother said._

 _Rayne didn't stay to hear what the General had to say in response to that. She turned and bolted back the way she had come, tears stinging in her eyes. Even though she was only nine-years-old, she was old enough to understand that her mother didn't want her and was planning on getting rid of her when she was sixteen because she, apparently, couldn't amount to anything other than a bride to give away._

 **. . .**

 **6**

 **Unarmed Combat and First-Aid**

 _April 18, 2016_

 _Barracks, Basic Training Camp_

Rayne splashed some cold water into her face, trying to erase the red, puffiness surrounding her eyes. She had that same dream, that _memory_ , that detailed the conversation she overheard that told her of what her mother truly felt about her. That she and her brother were just a mistake, that they were never meant to happen, and that she would never amount to anything.

Growing up, Rayne and Kay had experienced a lot of neglect at the hands of their parents. They were often ignored and overlooked in favor of their three older siblings and, more often than not, their parents simply forgot they existed. The maids were the ones that took care of Rayne and her brother, making sure they were fed, had clean clothes, got to school on time, finished their homework, and went to bed at a reasonable hour. They acted more like parents than their own parents did.

But Rayne wanted the attention of her actual parents, even if it was as simple as a pat on the shoulder or a smile or a hug. By the time she was eight, she realized that this wasn't going to happen and so she started acting out. She started getting into trouble on purpose, from throwing her food around to pouring water on Gretchen's head while she was doing homework to pushing Parker into a puddle of mud, just to get the attention of her parents. Because, if they wouldn't give her affection, at least if they were scolding her, it would mean that they cared enough to tell her that what she was doing was wrong.

But it never came. Instead, her parents would just look at her and then turned to the head maid and tell her that she was in charge of Rayne's punishment.

But that didn't deter Rayne and she started getting into more and more trouble, acting out when her parents had important people over, for example, or getting into a fight with some nobleman's kid. It got to the point that she was spending more time in her bedroom after a stern scolding from the head maid than out of it.

And, still, her parents didn't pay attention to her.

Rayne gazed at herself in the mirror; midnight blue eyes in a heart shaped face framed by short-cropped pale-blue hair. She had gotten her eyes and her hair from her mother, she knew, though her height was from her father. She traced her fingers over her face and her still slightly puffy eyes.

When she was sixteen, Rayne had made the decision to run away from home. It was more to get out of the arranged marriage that her parents were getting ready to set up for her but it was also because she just couldn't take her parents' coldness anymore. Seven years since she learned of what her mother really thought of her and her brother had been enough and she didn't think she could handle anymore.

The door to the bathroom opened and Rayne shut down the water, turning around and plastering a fake smile on her face when she saw Lila walk into the room. "Oh, good morning, Lila," she greeted her.

Lila studied her. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You look like you've been crying."

Rayne's fake smile vanished from her face and she sighed, turning her gaze back to the mirror. "I just had a bad night," she said softly. "Nothing to worry about. I'll be fine once we get into training. We're doing unarmed combat today, right?"

Lila nodded. "You know, um, if you wanna talk, I'm a good listener," she said.

Rayne cast a sidelong glance at the blonde girl and smiled a little. She may not know Lila that well but she was touched by the offer. "Thanks, Lila," she said. She turned the water back on and splashed her face again before she dried it. "Wonder if the boys are up yet?"

"Last I saw, Akiyama was still asleep," Lila said, wandering past her and disappearing into the stall to get changed. She came out a few minutes later and began running the brush she brought with her through her hair before working to put it in a tight bun.

"Let's hope he doesn't end up late. Sergeant Greene wasn't too happy with him for walking in late to our last classroom session on Friday," Rayne said. She didn't really care for Greene; actually, the correct word would be she absolutely _loathed_ Greene. Not only was he extremely prejudiced towards Elevens but he was also sexist. Rayne had even caught him saying that he wanted things to go back to a time when women "knew their place".

He just pissed her off and she knew that she would have to keep her temper in check for the next eight weeks if she wanted to stand a chance at graduating.

"Ready?" She asked Lila who nodded and the two of them left the bathroom and headed over to join the boys. While they had met the other girls who had joined, neither of them had really connected with them, and Rayne much preferred hanging around guys anyway. Though the main reason why she was hanging around her brother was because of who her brother was hanging around, more specifically Prince Lelouch.

Rayne had to admit she was curious. She idolized Lelouch's mother and she had to wonder if he was anything like her.

"Morning Lila, Rayne," Suzaku greeted them as the girls joined him, Kay, and Lelouch, who were watching the lump that was Tadashi who was still sleeping in his bunk.

"Shouldn't you be waking him up?" Rayne asked, gesturing to Tadashi.

"For once, he can actually sleep for a few more minutes. We all got up early," Kay said.

"Not willingly," Lelouch muttered under his breath, looking tired.

Suzaku glanced at the prince in concern but Lelouch, noticing the look, waved it off. "I'm fine. I just woke up at three and couldn't get back to sleep," he said but didn't explain why and Suzaku didn't push.

The friendship between Suzaku and Lelouch was actually surprising, Rayne would admit. She was surprised that an Imperial Prince somehow knew an Eleven and had become friends with him six years ago, which would have been around the time of the invasion, and even more surprised by how close they were, especially since they hadn't seen each other in six years.

Kay moved over to the bunk. "Tadashi, wake up," he called.

Tadashi mumbled and rolled onto his side, his eyes cracking open. "What time is it?" he mumbled, voice still heavy with sleep.

"Four thirty."

"Five more minutes."

"You told me to wake you up at four thirty. I woke you up at four thirty. Do you want to be late?"

Yawning, Tadashi sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Okay, okay, I'm getting up," he said tiredly as he climbed out of his bed, though he did smile when he saw Rayne. "Morning, beautiful."

"Morning," Rayne said with disinterest. He had been calling her that, or something like that, ever since they first met and, frankly, it was annoying.

"And good morning to you too, beautiful," Tadashi added to Lila who gave him an icy look, her arms folded across her chest, but she said nothing.

Apparently undeterred by Lila's coolness, Tadashi yawned and wandered over to his footlocker to grab his clothes and get ready for their training that day.

"Are you okay, Rayne?" Kay asked, studying Rayne.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rayne assured her but, considering the look in his eyes, it was obvious he didn't believe her. Unlike with Lila, who had caught Rayne right after she finished crying, Kay just knew that something was wrong. Having growing up together, and being as close as they were, he always was able to tell how Rayne was feeling; some may say that came from being twins, that they were more empathic toward each other than other people. Rayne supposed it was true, since Kay almost always seemed to know what she was feeling, even when she was trying to hide it.

However, while Kay obviously knew that she wasn't as fine as she was letting on, he also knew that it would be best to just leave it alone. Rayne hated talking about her parents and that was the cause of her distress. So he said nothing, for which Rayne was grateful.

 **. . .**

 _Training Field, Basic Training Camp_

"All right, recruits, listen up," Sergeant Greene stated, his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes stern as he gazed at the crowd of recruits that were gathered in lines in front of him. "Today we are going to start our unarmed combat unit."

 _Oh hell,_ Lelouch thought with a grimace. He mused that, maybe, he should have paid attention during the time that Tohdoh had allowed him to sit in on his training sessions with Suzaku back at the Kururugi Shrine. Then, he might have learned something that could help him in this situation. As it was, he didn't know much and suspected that his face was going to be eating dirt a lot today.

"Frost! Moore! You two will be first," Greene stated, gesturing to Rayne and Lila who looked at each other but shrugged and walked out onto the training field. Greene stepped back, watching the two impassively as they stood across from each other, preparing to fight.

It became clear within the first couple of minutes that Rayne knew how to fight. When she began grappling with Lila, she was easily able to get the upper hand. She had Lila pinned to the ground within a few minutes. However, Lila was agile, able to slither free from Rayne's grip, flip to her feet like an acrobat and dance out of the way of Rayne's next attempt to take her down, forcing Rayne to front-flip to avoid falling flat on her face.

"That's enough," Greene said, as they both spun to face each other, striding forward and studying them with cool eyes. "Hmm, I suppose you did all right, for women. Next pair: Duncan and Storm."

Rayne looked pissed but held her tongue as she and Lila walked over to the other side of the field so that they could keep watch but also to show Greene that they had already gone.

Lelouch, on the other hand, was thinking about Rayne. Even for the short fight that he had just witnessed, Rayne had showed that she was a good unarmed fighter. He would save his judgment for when he got the chance to see her in action for a longer time. He turned his gaze to Dimitri who was holding his own against his opponent, a larger, burlier man named Nathan Storm, but it was clear that hand-to-hand combat wasn't Dimitri's forte.

Suzaku, on the other hand, was as good at unarmed fighting as Lelouch expected him to be. He was paired with Tadashi and it was clear he had the upper hand from the very beginning but Lelouch knew that was probably due to his upbringing and the martial arts training that he had received from Tohdoh. The influence was obvious in the fluid way that Suzaku moved but Lelouch doubted that anyone was aware of the martial arts from Japan before it became Area 11; he only knew due to the almost year he spent at the Kururugi Shrine.

"Vi Britannia! Frost!" Greene called.

Lelouch glanced at Kay at his side; even though Kay was small, Lelouch was not stupid enough to underestimate him, especially seeing how fast he was. Though whether he was as good a fighter as his sister seemed to be had yet to be determined.

At least, that was the way it was until Lelouch found himself eating dirt within only a minute of the fight.

"Vi Britannia! You gotta work harder than that. Remember, you ain't gonna get special treatment just 'cause of your status," Greene called as Lelouch, taking Kay's hand when he held it out to him, pulled himself to his feet.

"Yes, sir," Lelouch said.

They fought for a while longer but it became clear that Lelouch knew next to nothing about hand-to-hand combat. He was going to have to work on that if he wanted to stand a chance at making it through the week.

They joined those who had gone ahead of them a few minutes later as the next pair stepped up and Suzaku grinned at him.

"I told you that you should have paid attention to Tohdoh's lessons," he said.

"Shut up, Suzaku," Lelouch huffed.

 **. . .**

 _April 19, 2016_

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

Kallen glared at the paperwork in front of her, trying to set it on fire with her eyes but it didn't seem to work. When she had been given the responsibilities of Vice President of the Student Council as soon as she had stepped into the meeting room, she hadn't thought much of it. Signing those petitions hadn't been that hard after all, there had just been a lot of them, but she didn't realize just how much paperwork the Vice President was assigned. At the very least, it was split between her and Milly.

She really didn't know why Naoto had insisted that she go back to school for a while. She knew that they weren't doing much since they hadn't been given any opportunities to strike back at Britannia and she also knew that Naoto was just trying to protect her. Being the older sibling, Naoto always took that job very seriously and had basically been the one that Kallen has always gone to when she needed help.

It wasn't as if she could go to her parents. Her mother was her maid, having insisted on remaining at Stadtfeld Manor when her father had remarried and clinging on to her old love with Kallen's father. Kallen's father was back in Pendragon, doing some work or other—she really didn't care enough to know exactly what her father was doing—and her bitch of a stepmother was…well…a bitch.

Staying at Stadtfeld Manor with the bitch was another reason why Kallen hadn't wanted to go back to school. Stadtfeld Manor wasn't her home; her home was her brother's small apartment in the Shinjuku Ghetto, her home was with the resistance cell that Naoto had started six months ago, her home was with Tamaki and Ohgi and Inoue and all the others whom had joined Naoto's resistance. She wanted nothing more than to return there.

But here she was stuck doing paperwork for the student council that the principal had insisted she join, since her health—a front so that she could leave school when she wanted to and join her brother in the ghetto to help him out—made it so that she couldn't join other clubs.

It wasn't that she didn't like the Student Council. She really didn't care for Britannians in general, since many of them were asses, but she found that Milly, Rivalz, Shirley, and Nina were different. Milly was rather eccentric, Rivalz was so in love with Milly that it wasn't even funny, Shirley was a bit of a ditz, and Nina was rather anti-social, always sequestered away with her computer. But they were nice enough.

And then there was Nunnally, the honorary member of the Student Council. She was an absolute sweetheart, always smiling despite being physically impaired and unable to see, and her smiles were rather contagious.

The only problem was that she was a princess.

Kallen cast a sidelong glance at Nunnally who was happily chatting with Shirley nearby. It seemed that ever since her older brother, the prince Lelouch, had left for basic training, she had been hanging out in the meeting room whenever she wasn't in classes.

Kallen didn't know what to think about the thought-to-be dead prince and princess. Nunnally was a sweetheart and Kallen had no idea just how she could be related to someone like the Emperor; however, as Kallen had just started at Ashford Academy, she knew next to nothing about Lelouch, only what the other students said about him. He had a fanclub and a lot of fangirls. That much Kallen did know. She had also learned, from Nina when she had asked her in an effort to try and gain information—she had nothing better to do and the information might come in handy—that Lelouch had been a slacker who was one of the ones with the highest grades in his entire year. Nina said that he was a genius and she didn't sound in awe; she sounded like she was simply stating a fact.

Still, he was a prince and that meant that he was part of the family that had been responsible for the invasion of Japan.

She just didn't know what to do with this information other than tell her brother. She doubted Naoto would do anything about it; he was rather pragmatic and going after a prince and princess was not something he would do. Besides, they didn't seem like they were a threat, though Lelouch joining the military might make him one.

"I got a letter from Big Brother today," Nunnally said.

"How's he doing?" Rivalz asked, looking up from the paper he was writing on.

"He's doing good," Nunnally said with a smile. "Apparently, they just started unarmed combat yesterday."

Milly snickered. "I wonder how many times Lelouch was eating dirt during that," she said.

"I say twenty," Rivalz stated.

"Twenty five," Kallen put in, since she had seen Lelouch and honestly couldn't see the scrawny prince as a good unarmed fighter.

"That's not very nice, you guys," Shirley scolded.

"I say thirty," Nina said quietly.

"Not you too, Nina!"

Nunnally giggled. "He didn't say but I'm happy. He said that he met up with an old friend that we met six years ago and I'm so looking forward to seeing him again," she said with a bright smile.

"That's good. Anyway, let's get to work on finishing these assignments and don't forget to be here bright and early tomorrow so we can get to work on the budget again," Milly said brightly and pulled out another piece of paper and scanning it.

Kallen turned her gaze back to her stack of paper and scowled at it.

 **. . .**

 _April 20, 2016_

 _Basic Training Camp_

Lelouch ached but he felt rather proud of himself that he had learned to, somewhat, defend himself in unarmed combat, thanks to Kay. Kay had been quick to teach him some moves during training that prevented him from face-planting the ground all the time. That first day of unarmed combat had seen him eating dirt thirty times and it irritated Lelouch. He hadn't realized he was that out of shape.

And it didn't help that Suzaku found it incredibly funny.

But a couple of days of training wouldn't make him an expert, and that was proven by the fact that Kay still got the better of him every time they fought. Sergeant Greene, at the very least, had been considerate enough to let Kay be the one that Lelouch trained with once he found out that Kay was a natural teacher, and that Lelouch was somewhat hopeless in that area of fighting.

"When someone comes charging at you, using their momentum against them will help you. Even if you don't have the strength to throw someone over your shoulder like Suzaku just did Tadashi,"—Kay gestured toward where Suzaku had, indeed, just thrown Tadashi over his shoulders so that he landed, hard, on the ground behind the Japanese boy—"you can still use their momentum against them. Here, let me show you. Just run at me as if you were going to tackle me."

Lelouch eyed him warily but nodded and did as he was told. Kay was fast, dodging to the side and slamming a kick to Lelouch's gut that not only threw him off his feet but knocked his breath out of him. He ended up on the ground for the third time that day.

"Seems…simply enough," he said as he tried to get his breath back.

"Just be aware that they might be expecting that," Kay said, holding out a hand and Lelouch took it and pulled himself to his feet.

"Got it," Lelouch said and he and Kay started another practice fight. Kay was as swift as ever, keeping out of Lelouch's way but, even if he was physically lacking, he was good at predicting another's moves. That was one reason why he had been able to hold his own against Kay once Kay started teaching him and he started paying attention to the way Kay fought. Granted, there were times when Kay was unpredictable but Lelouch, at least, could last for five minutes before his face met the ground.

"Not bad that time around," Kay said, helping Lelouch to his feet.

"I'm going to be thankful when this part of training is over," Lelouch muttered.

Kay chuckled quietly.

After training ended, an aching Lelouch, Kay, Suzaku, Tadashi, Rayne, Lila, and Dimitri headed back to the barracks. Lelouch wasn't the only one who was aching; Tadashi was rubbing his back with one hand and his jaw, since Suzaku had landed a spin kick to his jaw during their last practice fight, and glaring at Suzaku who gave him a sheepish smile.

"Boy am I glad I'm on your side," he said. He glanced at Rayne and added, "Though you're an awesome fighter. Just where did you learn to fight like that, beautiful?"

"I'm mostly self-taught," Rayne said. "And are you ever going to call me something other than beautiful?"

"How about gorgeous then?"

Rayne rolled her eyes but said nothing.

 **. . .**

 _April 21, 2016_

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

Shirley yawned, rubbing her eyes as she studied the numbers that lay in front of her but couldn't make much sense out of them. They were originally going to do the budget the day before but Milly's parents had decided to set her up with another nobleman's son and so she had to postpone it. There didn't seem to be much to do with the budget, except find ways to raise money; their last festival, six days earlier, had taken a large chunk of the money and supplies that they had stocked up on.

"So we're down to our last supplies and we're running low on funds. We're gonna have to come up with a way to raise some money for all the clubs. The Equestrian Club has already told me that they're going to need some money for new saddles before their next competition," Milly said, putting down the paper that she had been scanning.

"I thought we made quite a bit with our last festival," Rivalz said with a frown.

"We did but it all ended up going to pay the rental costs for the booths and the other things that we had to get," Milly said. She clapped her hands together and added, "Okay, we're gonna have to just inform the clubs that all of them are gonna take a slight cut in their budget until we can solve this financial crisis. Now, does anyone have any ideas for how we can do that?"

There was silence for a long moment.

The door opened and Kallen made her way in. "Sorry I'm late. I was doing homework and lost track of time," she said as she made her way to her seat and sat down.

"No problem, Kallen," Milly said brightly. "Do you have any ideas?"

"For what?"

"Ways to get us out of the financial jam the last festival put us in," Rivalz explained.

Kallen blinked but frowned in thought. "I'm not sure. Maybe we could do a fundraiser," she suggested meekly.

"That'd be a good idea but what kind of fundraiser?" Shirley wondered.

"Maybe a bake sale?" Nunnally suggested. "We could make the treats ourselves and then sell them to the student body or to anyone who wants to buy them."

"An excellent suggestion, Nunnally," Milly said with an enthusiastic grin. "We can even set up in the mall or outside a store or something. But who would do the cooking?"

"I'm a terrible cook so I'm out," Rivalz said.

"Sayoko can bake some things," Nunnally said. She smiled and added, "I wish Big Brother was here. He's an amazing cook. He even knows how to bake."

"H…He does?" Shirley said, surprised because she couldn't see Lelouch as a cook or a baker.

"Aww, your man is both a cook and a baker. Looks like he's a keeper, Shirley," Milly said with a teasing grin.

Shirley went red. "W…What are you…? He's not…I mean…I don't…ah…" She stammered out.

Milly laughed and turned to Nunnally. "Do you think you can ask her if she'd be willing to bake some things to sell?" she asked.

"Sure. She makes amazing cookies and brownies," Nunnally said.

"I can bake some things too," Shirley offered, the blush on her cheeks slowly fading. "Some banana bread and I can do cookies too."

"Sounds good," Milly said. "Now we just need to find a place to hold this bake sale. If we do it in front of a store, we'll need their permission, though I don't know if you should come with us, Nunnally. It might be dangerous for you to be out in public without a bodyguard."

"I can talk with Brother Clovis. He might be willing to lend me one of his men," Nunnally suggested.

"All right. So I'm thinking if we get everything settled, we can do this next weekend," Milly said and turned to Kallen. "Are you free next weekend?"

"I think so," Kallen said after a moment of thought.

"Can you help out?"

"Probably."

"Great." Milly clapped her hands together. "Then you and I can focus on drawing in the crowds!"

"And just how do you plan on doing that?" Nina asked quietly.

Milly grinned.

Kallen shivered and Shirley, noticing, couldn't blame her. She did not like the look on Milly's face and she had a bad feeling about whatever it was Milly had planned.

 **. . .**

 _April 22, 2016_

 _Basic Training Camp_

Suzaku glanced at Lila with a frown of concern marring his face. The blonde girl looked terrified as she gazed up at the Victory Tower that they were supposed to complete. They were supposed to navigate a set of several obstacles at extreme heights, such as climbing rope ladders, traveling across rope bridges, and rappelling down a fifty foot wall to name a few. Suzaku wasn't scared of heights so he doubted that this would affect him that badly but he could tell by her white face that Lila was terrified of doing this.

He moved to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it'll be all right," he said, hoping he sounded reassuring.

Lila swallowed and glanced at him before nodding. "Y…Yeah, I gotta do this," she said and took a deep breath, her eyes filling with determination but there were still traces of fear lingering in her light-brown eyes. She squared her shoulders though and her eyes narrowed as she gazed at the rope ladder that would take her to the top of the tower.

Even though she was still scared, she was putting on a brave, determined face. It was almost as if she was trying to convince herself that she could do it. Suzaku wondered if that had to do with how Greene treated her and Rayne, like they didn't belong there. In truth, the Japanese boy had noticed that the Drill Sergeant seemed to treat Lila and Rayne, along with all the other girls, worse than he treated Suzaku and Tadashi.

He frowned to himself because the Drill Sergeant shouldn't be doing that, especially not when Lila and Rayne had proven themselves time and again since basic training had begun. They were clearly going to make wonderful soldiers but Suzaku pushed the thought away, deciding that the Drill Sergeant just needed time to truly see the strengths that Lila and Rayne had to offer and Suzaku was sure his attitude would change after that.

Though that day wasn't today if the cold stare that Greene was giving Lila and Rayne as they gathered with the rest of the batch of recruits waiting for the exercise to begin was any indication.

"And begin, soldiers!" Greene shouted.

"Sir, yes, sir!" The recruits shouted back, snapping crisp salutes and darting over to the rope ladder and beginning the course. Suzaku went behind Lila as she reached the rope ladder and began to climb it, her hands clenching the rope tightly and her eyes flaring with determination.

At least, until she got to the top of the tower and made the mistake of looking down.

Then, her entire body seemed to freeze, her pupils dilated, and she looked on the verge of having a panic attack.

"Moore! Get moving!" Greene barked out.

Lila didn't seem capable of moving, the terror, that she had managed to quench earlier, flared in her eyes. Suzaku was about to go to her, hoping that he could help her, but Kay got to her first. The small silvery-blue haired boy launched himself past Suzaku and onto the rope ladder, scurrying up it rapidly like a squirrel climbing the trunk of a tree, and crouching next to Lila. He murmured quietly into her ear and Lila swallowed but nodded, her limbs slowly unfreezing and unwinding as she stood up. She turned to Kay, gave him a grateful smile, and darted off.

Kay followed her swiftly.

Suzaku, who had started on the rope ladder himself, was relieved that Lila looked like she was going to be all right. He scrambled to the top and darted off to the next obstacle, briefly glancing over his shoulder, curious about whether Lelouch was still behind him or not.

No surprise that the prince wasn't.

Even if the past week and a half since basic training began had done some wonders for Lelouch's stamina, there was no denying that he still had less stamina than the rest of the recruits.

Suzaku darted over to the rope bridge and made his way across it rather swiftly, noting that Kay seemed to be keeping pace with Lila, occasionally glancing at her in concern. Lila just kept on moving, nimbly navigating her way around each obstacle, her gaze fixed straight ahead as if she wasn't fifty feet off the ground and hadn't had a slight panic attack earlier.

However, once they reached the wall they were supposed to grapple down back first, Lila's fear decided to rear its ugly little head again, causing her to freeze on the edge of the wall. It didn't help that Greene was shouting at her to get moving, which lead to Tadashi, who had come up to Suzaku's side by this point, to glare at the Drill Sergeant—thankfully, Greene was too focused on Lila to notice—and huff.

"He could, at least, offer _some_ encouragement. It's obvious Lila's terrified of heights," he said.

"It's his job to be strict with us, Tadashi," Suzaku reminded him.

"Strict is one thing, deliberately discriminatory is another thing entirely, Suzaku," Lelouch's out of breath voice said and Suzaku glanced over his shoulder as the prince joined the two Honorary Britannians. "Lila is not the only one who hesitated or showed fear before grappling down, from what I saw when I finally got up here, and yet she's the only one that's being scolded. Greene is deliberately calling Lila out and drawing attention to her fear." Lelouch shook his head with a disgusted sneer.

Suzaku blinked at him but, before he could say anything, Greene was shouting at them to get a move on. He turned his gaze away from his old friend and darted toward the grappling area, noting that Kay and Lila had gone down at the same time and Lila looked much better now that she was on the ground.

Suzaku grappled down without problem as did Tadashi and even Lelouch, though going down was always a lot easier than going up. Lelouch still looked worn out when he joined them though.

"I think it's gonna take a lot of luck for you to get through basic training in one piece, Lelouch," Suzaku said.

"Shut up, exercise nut," Lelouch growled without much heat.

Suzaku chuckled and looked at Lila. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.

Lila nodded slowly, her face closed off. "Yes, I'm fine," she said calmly.

 **. . .**

 _April 23, 2016_

 _Gardens, Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement_

Nunnally smiled sadly as the familiar smells of the garden brought back nostalgic memories of a time before she and Lelouch had been forced to leave Pendragon, before her mother had been killed. She remembered the gardens of the Aries Villa very well; they were always her favorite place to be, something she had in common with her mother. It was for that reason that Nunnally enjoyed being outside in the gardens of the Kururugi Shrine when she and Lelouch had been staying with the Kururugis. While the gardens at the Kururugi Shrine had not been the same as the ones she was used to, they were beautiful in their own right, filled with cherry blossoms and other kinds of flowers and plants native to Area 11.

Nunnally had learned the name of many flowers and plants native to Area 11 from Suzaku. The Japanese boy had been kind enough to tell Nunnally when she, being the curious seven year old she was, had asked him what they were.

Even if Suzaku hadn't gotten along with Lelouch at the very beginning, he was always kind to Nunnally. Nunnally supposed that it was because of her that Suzaku and Lelouch were able to get over their instant dislike of each other, especially after Lelouch's tenth birthday. And they had grown so close in the months following and closer to the point of almost inseparable during the invasion.

The only reason that Lelouch and Nunnally had separated from Suzaku was because they had come near the Tokyo Settlement and had decided to head out to find the Ashfords. Suzaku had insisted that they go by themselves, stating that the Britannians would be less likely to help them if Suzaku was with them. While neither of them had liked it, Lelouch admitted that Suzaku had a point and, after telling Suzaku to take care of himself, he and Nunnally had gone their separate ways.

Nunnally had always worried about Suzaku after that and she was more than a little relieved to find that the Japanese boy was all right and with her brother.

"Ah, Nunnally, I'm so glad that you could join me tonight," Clovis said and Nunnally felt his hand take hers gently. She smiled. She had come here because her brother Clovis had invited her to dinner in the gardens on top of the Viceroy's Palace. Since she didn't mind spending time with her brother Clovis, she had agreed. Besides, she wanted to talk to him about borrowing a guard so that she could participate in that bake sale for the student council a week from Saturday.

"Thank you for inviting me, Brother Clovis," Nunnally said as she heard Clovis stand up and Sayoko wheeled her to a table. "This garden, the smells bring back so many memories."

"I imagine that it would," Clovis said as Nunnally heard Sayoko pour her some tea and then hand her the cup. She brought the cup to her lips, blowing on it when she felt the steam rising from the hot liquid, and then took a little sip.

"Why's that?" she asked, lowering the tea cup and tilting her head to the side curiously.

"I modeled them after the gardens in the Aries Villa," Clovis admitted. "They always were my favorite place there. They were your mother's too, if I recall."

"Yeah, and mine. Big Brother wasn't really a garden person but he liked them, except when he fell into the stream," Nunnally said and giggled at the memory. That had happened when she and Euphie had been chasing him around and he hadn't noticed the rock and tripped over it, landing in the artificial stream.

Clovis laughed. "Ah, yes, I remember that. He was rather put-out after that and sulked for a good hour," he mused.

Nunnally smiled and sipped at her tea again. "I hope Big Brother's doing all right," she said softly. "His last letter said that he was but…I guess I just worry too much. I'm being silly."

"No, you aren't, Nunnally," Clovis assured her. "My sister worries about me occasionally too, you know? You remember Laila, right?"

"Yeah, she was really nice and always called me Nana," Nunnally said.

"It's only natural for siblings to worry about each other," Clovis added, "especially if they're close and I suspect you and Lelouch have been through a lot and likely aren't used to being apart for too long. To think that you survived the invasion." He sighed and added, "I wish I had been able to help you more during that time."

"You didn't know, Brother Clovis," Nunnally assured him, smiling and decided to change the subject, not wanting to think about the war. She may not have been able to see what happened, nor did she understand completely what happened until years later, but she had her own share of nightmares from that incident. The scar on her arm from when she had been shot was proof that even _she_ hadn't escaped the war unscathed.

Lelouch may have tried to shelter Nunnally from the horrors of the war back then but Nunnally had still experienced it; heard the sounds of gunfire, smelled the stench that she could now recognize as blood and death, felt the pain of a bullet wound. Ever since she had gone blind, all of her other senses had been amplified; that was one reason why she was always able to sense whether someone was lying to her whenever she held their hand.

"So how's the painting of Mount Fuji coming along, Brother Clovis?" Nunnally asked curiously, recalling that was her older half-brother's newest art project.

"Oh, it's turning out wonderfully," Clovis said, the happiness shrouding the sadness he had been feeling earlier, and went on to talk about the process that he was implementing, such as the colors that he was using. He always got excited whenever he spoke about his art, even when they were younger; it usually bored Lelouch almost to tears and Nunnally, while not an artist herself, always smiled when she heard Clovis talk so passionately about the hobby that he loved.

 _I wonder if I could find a hobby like that,_ she mused and briefly recalled the second reason why she had agreed to accept her older half-brother's invitation. When Clovis paused for a moment to regain his breath, Nunnally said, "Brother Clovis, may I ask you something?"

"Of course, Nunnally," Clovis said.

"Well, the Student Council at Ashford are holding a bake sale a week from Saturday and I was wondering, do you think I can borrow one of your men as a bodyguard so I can help out?" Nunnally asked.

Clovis was silent for a moment. "Well, I don't see why not," he said with a smile.

"Thank you, Brother Clovis," Nunnally said with a gentle, beaming smile.

"You're most welcome, Nunnally," Clovis said.

 **. . .**

 _Basic Training Camp_

The final unit that the recruits were going to cover that week was about first aid on the field and Lelouch noticed that Lila seemed to be a natural. She grasped the basic concepts rather quickly and admitted that her parents had wanted her to go into the medical field and her mother, who was a doctor herself, had taught her a number of things.

"She wanted me to have a headstart but I never really wanted to go into the medical field," Lila admitted.

"Why not?" Rayne asked curiously, casting a sidelong glance at Lila as the blonde girl shifted a little, her eyes focused on the dummy that she was practicing the first aid techniques on.

"I just…wanted to do something more. I wanted to fight but…my parents…they're just so overprotective. They feel that I'd be safer in a hospital," Lila admitted.

Rayne smiled at her. "Them being overprotective just shows that they care," she said.

"Sometimes I think they care _too_ much," Lila said.

"At least they care about you." The blue-haired girl sounded bitter as she worked on putting her dummy's 'broken arm' into a makeshift splint.

Lila blinked at her. "What…?" she began.

"I don't want to talk about it," Rayne said shortly.

Lila closed her mouth and said nothing more.

Kay cast a sidelong glance at Rayne, a small frown on his lips before he turned his attention to his dummy.

"Is she all right?" Suzaku asked.

Kay nodded. "She's just…she's always been one to hold onto resentment," he admitted quietly.

"Sometimes, things happen that you can't let go of or, more likely, don't _want_ to let go of," Lelouch said, working on his own makeshift splint, his voice bitter as he thought about his mother's murder and the hate he felt toward the Emperor for seeing him and Nunnally as little more than political tools.

"That's true," Tadashi said with a nod, his brow furrowing in concentration as he worked. He didn't say anything beyond that but his brow did furrow and his lips turned into a small frown as he focused at the task at hand.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: well, at the very least, I think I ended it a bit better now than in the first version, still not much difference though**

 **Suzaku: I liked it**

 **Lelouch: what's going to happen in the next chapter?**

 **Blaze: a look into Lila's backstory, Jeremiah makes another appearance, we take a look into the perspective of both Schneizel and another OC antagonist...I really do have a heck of a lot of OCs in this story...guerilla exercises, the bake sale, and a look into Naoto Kozuki's perspective**

 **Lelouch: oh coolness**

 **Suzaku: in that other story you're working on, are there a lot of OCs?**

 **Blaze: only to fill up the lack of canon Japanese people that are around yours and Kallen's age but they're not gonna be major characters, not entirely anyway**

 **Suzaku: oh okay**

 **Blaze: well, that has nothing to do with this story so I'm gonna shut up about it. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	7. Guerilla Exercises

**Well, I'm updating a total of three stories today (and have sent the newest chapter of a fourth story I plan on updating to my beta-reader) so that's cool.**

 **I also start school a week from Monday so updates are going to start being slow but I'll still attempt to keep a, somewhat, regular schedule.**

 **Bakura: yeah, right**

 **Lelouch: honestly, I have to agree with Bakura here**

 **(Glares at Bakura and Lelouch) ahem, anyway, thank you to _HufflepuffKat, ewertondragon, Shadow-Shinobi666, Otaku-Nation666, Shimmering-Sky, Determined Savior, squeegywing,_ and _davycrockett100_ for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

 **Here is chapter 7, where we get more on Lila's backstory and so on. I hope that you enjoy it and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **EDIT: Forgot to include the translation from the scene with Reyes.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _June 28, 2015_

 _Moore Manor, Tokyo Settlement_

 _The book lay open on her desk, filled with medical jargon, scenarios, and real-life case studies, and Lila Moore's head was starting to hurt as she attempted to make sense of what she was reading. Her parents had gotten her that book, telling her that if she was going to become a doctor, she should know all that there is to know about what being a doctor entails. They said that she would learn more when she goes to college but that it never hurt to get a head start._

 _Sighing, Lila closed the book and got to her feet, knowing full well that she wasn't going to get very far in that book with the headache that was beginning to form in her head. Standing up, she stretched and walked out of her room._

 _"Lady Lila, it's almost lunchtime, would you like something to eat?" Lila's maid, Beth, said._

 _"Sure, thanks Beth," Lila said and followed Beth as the maid led the way into the kitchen. Her parents weren't home, for which Lila was grateful._

 _She sat down at the island and accepted the glass of orange juice that Beth handed her, sipping at it as she reached for a remote, turning the television in the kitchen on. While Beth began working on lunch, Lila was watching a news report that had just come on._

 _"_...A cell of the terrorist organization known as the Liberators have struck again. In a shocking turn of events, the 3rd Division stationed in Area 3 and under the command of Princes Castor and Pollux rui Britannia has been decimated. According to our sources, only Prince Castor and Prince Pollux's personal Knightmare frames and a handful of others managed to escape unscathed. The Liberators' attack was organized as a series of guerilla attacks…" _The news reporter was saying._

 _Lila tuned out the rest of the report and turned to Beth. "Hey, Beth?" she said._

 _"Yes, Lady Lila?" Beth said, stirring the potatoes that she was cooking and glancing over her shoulder at Lila._

 _"What are guerilla attacks?" Lila asked curiously. She knew Beth would know since Beth had an older brother who was part of the military._

 _Beth paused for a moment. "Why do you want to know?" she asked._

 _"Well, it seems like a really effective strategy and I'm just wondering why it's so effective," Lila said with a shrug._

 _Beth sighed and turned toward her. "You know your parents don't like your interest in the military," she said._

 _"It's just an interest, Beth. Gaining more knowledge is something that should be encouraged, right?" Lila asked._

 _"I suppose so. Guerilla attacks are when an army attacks another, retreats to regroup, and then attacks again and the process is repeated until the enemy is defeated," Beth said._

 _"Hmm, why doesn't everyone do this then?"_

 _"It doesn't always work. Sometimes, the enemy is too strong and takes you out before you can retreat, other times, they stop you from retreating," Beth said. "But then, no strategy is completely full proof. All strategies have weaknesses that the enemy can exploit in order to gain the advantage or retreat and regroup themselves. It depends simply on the situation. Terrain also plays a role."_

 _"I read about that. If you attack an enemy who is used to the terrain then they can use that terrain to their advantage because they know it well," Lila said._

 _"Exactly," Beth said, scooping some potatoes onto a plate and started preparing a sandwich to go with it._

 _Lila sighed, turning her gaze to the television screen. "I wish I could be out there," she murmured. "I wish I could be part of the military."_

 _"Your parents know what's best for you."_

 _"But it's my life. I should get to decide what to do with it and if I don't want to become a doctor than I shouldn't have to," Lila muttered bitterly._

 _"Your parents just want to keep you safe, Lady Lila."_

 _"They don't even let me leave the_ house _without five bodyguards. Five! What person out there needs five bodyguards? And it's not like I'm allowed to leave the house that often anyway." She scowled to herself. "When I turn sixteen, I'm gonna join the military. I don't care what Mom and Dad have to say about it."_

 _Beth looked at her, a small frown on her face. "Your parents will never agree," she said._

 _"I don't care. I'm still gonna do it," Lila said determinably._

 **. . .**

 **7**

 **Guerilla Exercises**

 _April 25, 2016_

 _Outskirts of Basic Training Camp_

The first day of the third week of basic training started out with a five kilometer foot march from the camp. Lila was doing pretty well on it, able to keep the pace alongside Rayne easily and control her breathing so that she wouldn't run out of breath quickly. It wasn't as if this was the first time she had done something like this before she started basic training; she had gone hiking in the mountains of Japan even before she made the decision to join the military.

Lila loved hiking and she loved nature. That was why she always hiked in the mountains whenever she was able to actually leave her parents' house. Her bodyguards, all five of them, always went with her but they never tried to stop her from hiking, even though her parents didn't want her to hike the steep trails that she usually hiked. They told her it was because they understood that she just wanted some time to herself doing something that she loved.

Lila really did like her bodyguards, even if she still didn't understand why her parents insisted on her having _five_ of them. _I mean, really? I doubt even royalty has that many bodyguards,_ she thought. At that, she glanced over her shoulder at the only member of the royal family that was there, noting in amusement that Lelouch was actually managing to stay near the rear of the main body of recruits. He had definitely developed his stamina in the past two weeks, though he was nowhere near on the same level as Suzaku and Kay, both of whom were far outpacing the majority of the recruits.

 _I wonder if he has any bodyguards. Not likely considering he was just found and returned to the Royal Family less than a month ago,_ Lila mused and pushed the thought of her mind as she refocused her attention on what was in front of her. The last thing she wanted to do was run into someone; she didn't want to do anything to bring Greene's ire down on her.

Her lips twitched into a scowl as she thought about her Drill Sergeant. She hated him and his sexist views. He had made it no secret that he thought Lila, Rayne, and the other female recruits didn't belong there and Lila could still remember how he had actually drawn attention to her fear of heights the week before.

He hadn't done that with any of the other recruits who were showing the same symptoms that she was.

Speaking of her fear of heights, Lila supposed it was rather ironic that she feared heights and yet enjoyed hiking in the mountains. _How does that work out? Well, I suppose it's 'cause I always choose trails that are never close to the edge so I never really see how high up I am,_ she thought.

"Who do you think is gonna get there first?" Rayne asked, glancing at Lila.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Lila asked. Normally, Lila wouldn't be talking while training, since she felt that it was unprofessional to talk about personal things and things that had nothing to do with what they were doing while working, but she made an exception for this march. Simply because everyone was doing it, talking quietly with each other as they moved and it wasn't against the rules.

Rayne gestured toward the head of the body of recruits. "Between Suzaku and Kay. Who do you think will finish this march first?"

Lila thought about it for a moment. "I think Suzaku. Kay's fast but I think Suzaku's faster," she said.

"Personally, I think my brother's going to get there before Suzaku," Rayne said.

"I think they're gonna get there at the exact same time," Tadashi said, appearing between them without warning and Lila stumbled but managed to remain on her feet, giving Tadashi an irritated look.

"I wouldn't be surprised by that either," Rayne admitted.

"So how are ya pretty ladies doing?" Tadashi asked.

Lila gave him a dry look. Honestly, she couldn't fathom how someone like _Tadashi_ could actually make it that far in basic training without getting kicked out due to his lack of professionalism. The fact that he nearly slept in the entire first week and was constantly acting like a flirtatious goofball made Lila wonder whether he was even taking this seriously.

"We're fine," Rayne said.

"That's good," Tadashi said as he easily marched between the two girls. "I have to admit, I've never done something like this before, though I have gone hiking before. I mean, the foot marches we do every morning during our drills are never this long."

"Before I started this training, I never have either. What about you, Lila?" Rayne asked, glancing at Lila.

"I've gone hiking before, when my parents would let me out of the house," Lila murmured.

"Yeah, I did too with my parents," Tadashi murmured, his cheerfulness fading to be replaced by a deep-seated sadness for a moment. It cleared up a few moments later and he added, "But, I hear we're doing more unarmed combat later today. I hope I'm paired with Suzaku again 'cause I wanna try out that move that he taught me."

Lila glanced at Tadashi, hearing that grief in the Japanese boy's voiced and wondering what happened but she decided that it wasn't any of her business.

 **. . .**

 _April 26, 2016_

 _Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy_

Jeremiah followed the blonde woman Milly as she led the way through the ballroom. "Thank you for showing me the way," he said to the Ashford heiress. The Ashfords may not be nobility anymore after their fallout when Lady Marianne was assassinated but they had been one of Marianne's biggest supporters. And they had been one of the ones who helped take care of Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally while they were in Japan.

Jeremiah owed them for that.

He had been surprised, but happy, when Clovis had come to him asking him if he would be willing to act as Princess Nunnally's bodyguard during a school bake sale that the student council was holding Saturday. He had agreed readily enough and asked if he could visit Princess Nunnally to tell her himself. He wanted to see her; he hadn't gotten a chance to visit the princess since she and Prince Lelouch had come back to Area 11.

He hadn't even gotten a chance to talk to and beg forgiveness from Prince Lelouch before the prince had gone off to basic training. Jeremiah was planning on rectifying that matter as soon as the prince got back. For now, he would apologize to Princess Nunnally; she deserved an apology for his inability to find and protect them just as much as Prince Lelouch did.

 _I wonder if she will even remember me,_ Jeremiah thought. He remembered Princess Nunnally when she was very young; she was a ball of hyperactive energy and had taken to calling him Jer because she couldn't pronounce his full name when she was little and it had stuck.

"Oh, you're welcome," Milly said and cast a sidelong glance at him. "I feel I've seen you before."

"It's possible. I remember seeing you a few times when the Ashfords visited Lady Marianne at Aries Villa. I was one of her guards," Jeremiah said.

"Oh, right, I remember now. Nunnally called you Jer and Lelouch always creamed you in chess," Milly said with a giggle.

"Ah, yes, I was not very proficient in chess," Jeremiah said.

"When it came to playing against Lelouch, I don't think anyone was, except his brother Schneizel," Milly said thoughtfully as she led the way up the stairs and down the hallway to a door and knocked on it. "Nunnally? It's Milly. Someone's here who wants to see you."

"Okay. Go ahead and let them in," Nunnally's voice sounded through the door and Milly, with a respectful incline of her head toward Jeremiah, left while Jeremiah opened the door. He made his way into a homely dining room in which the smell of baking bread permeated; he spotted his princess seated at the dining room table, running her fingers over a book in braille in front of her.

She lifted her head and tilted her head to the side. "Hello," she said politely.

"Hello, Your Highness," Jeremiah said. "I'm not sure if you'll remember me but I'm Jeremiah Gottwald."

Nunnally was silent for a moment and then her face brightened. "Jer!" She said happily and stretched out a hand toward him. "I remember you. What are you doing here?"

"Prince Clovis asked me to be your bodyguard for that bake sale that you wanted to take part in this Saturday and I accepted but requested that I be the one to tell you," Jeremiah said and moved to Nunnally's side, kneeling down and taking the hand gently.

"Why?" she asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.

Jeremiah swallowed. "It's mostly because I wanted to personally apologize to you," he said.

"Apologize? For what?"

"For not protecting you, your brother, or your mother."

Nunnally smiled sadly and gently squeezed the turquoise-haired man's hand. "It wasn't your fault," she assured him.

Jeremiah would always blame himself for not being able to protect Lady Marianne or her children, despite the fact that Cornelia had ordered him and the rest of Lady Marianne's royal guard to leave her for the night.

"And thank you for agreeing to be my bodyguard, Jer," Nunnally added, changing the subject slightly.

"It's my honor, princess," Jeremiah said.

 **. . .**

 _Office of the Prime Minister, Pendragon_

Schneizel el Britannia studied the reports that lay scattered on his desk, his lips pulled in a frown. As he had told his father weeks earlier, the Liberators were a big threat but it would seem that they were gradually getting to be a bigger threat than he had originally thought. His spies in the areas had managed to unearth the possible location of a few more Liberator cells in Areas 2, 4, and 6.

 _They're a lot more spread out than I had originally thought and yet where is their main body? And just how are they managing to defeat almost everyone who attempts to fight against them?_ Schneizel scanned the reports of the previous battles against the Liberators. The terrorist organization had first come into the picture when Schneizel was sixteen years old and they had succeeded in destroying an embassy on Britannia's border with the Europia United. It was that incident that suggested that they were an EU-based terrorist organization.

However, Schneizel was baffled by how they managed to infiltrate _eight_ areas _without_ anyone knowing it. It took a lot to baffle the Prime Minister of Britannia and yet this terrorist organization did just that. He pressed his lips together as he picked up another report that detailed the battle and aftermath in Area 3 the year before that his half siblings Castor and Pollux had lost.

 _An unexplained bombing and then guerilla attacks. It's similar to what was reported three months ago when Cornelia was forced to retreat after a battle with another cell of the Liberators in the EU and again when Marrybell and the Glinda Knights had to retreat as well last month. And yet I feel I'm missing something. Why didn't Cornelia or Marrybell prepare for the inevitable guerilla attacks when the bombing occurred? It wasn't as if this was the first time that they had struck with that tactic. Of course, it is possible that the timing took them by surprise,_ Schneizel thought, putting that report down and picking up the one about Marrybell mel Britannia's fight against the Liberators and then the one with Cornelia's fight against them. He compared them, noting that while Cornelia's approach was much more straightforward—an all-out frontal assault—Marrybell had thought about surrounding them and attacking from all directions.

And yet they were still defeated and by the same tactic.

It was confusing that the same tactic could be used multiple times against multiple strategies and multiple enemies and still garner the same results.

Schneizel had the odd feeling that he was missing something.

He looked up as the door opened and his assistant, Kanon, walked into the room, holding a steaming mug of coffee. "I thought you might need this, my Lord," Kanon said, placing the mug on a coaster on Schneizel's desk.

He nodded his thanks, lifted the mug to his lips, and sipped at the liquid.

"You seem stressed," Kanon noted.

"More puzzled," Schneizel said, putting the mug down.

"Perhaps I may be of some help, my Lord," Kanon said, walking around the Prime Minister's desk and peering at the papers.

"Perhaps. I'm looking for a potential reason as to why no one has been able to defeat these Liberator cells despite the fact that the Liberators have been using the same tactic each time they attack," Schneizel said.

"Did they know that when they engaged the Liberators, my Lord?" Kanon asked.

"They should. In order to be an effective military leader, one of the first things that you learn is to always know your enemy," Schneizel said. "I suppose it is possible that they did not know but Castor and Pollux did engage the Liberators again after their defeat last year and they still lost." Castor and Pollux may not be military geniuses but they weren't idiots either and always took to heart the idea of knowing one's enemy. To think that they would still get defeated even though they knew the Liberators' tactic, and by that _same tactic,_ was mind-boggling.

 _Just what was significant about the Liberators' tactic that even someone who_ knows _what to expect can't defeat them, despite them using the same exact tactic?_ Schneizel thought with a frown.

"That is puzzling," Kanon mused thoughtfully.

"Indeed." Schneizel put the mug down and went back to scanning the report, looking for something that could answer the many questions in his mind. He did notice one thing that he kept in mind; the report seemed to be lacking some information, such as what actually happened in the attack that actually won the battle for the Liberators.

These Liberators were a dangerous group, he knew, though they hadn't yet made a move against Pendragon. They were striking out at outposts and embassies and at the Britannian forces within the areas. Schneizel suspected that they may be building their forces or their confidence and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

But if they were able to infiltrate eight areas as well as keep attacking embassies and outposts along the border, their numbers were as large as these attacks suggested, and they had the resources needed to wage battle, then why haven't they attacked Pendragon yet?

 _Something must be stopping them from attacking but what?_ Schneizel wondered silently, taking another drink of his coffee.

 **. . .**

 _April 27, 2016_

 _Underground Base, Gifu Settlement_

The tunnels interlaced the area beneath the Gifu Settlement. It was like a labyrinth with many smaller tunnels jutting out of the main tunnel down which he walked. The tunnel was dark with only a spear of light cutting through it from the flashlight he held in front of him. His cloak brushed the ground, kicking up dust as, even though the tunnels were constantly occupied, a thin layer of dust covered everything.

He kept his free hand over his mouth to keep the dust out of his mouth as he walked, moving swiftly and quietly like a cat. His dark-blonde bangs fell over his eyes and he pushed them aside as he rounded a corner and neared a door. Lowering the flashlight, he stepped up to the door and knocked twice, paused, and then knocked three times before stepping back. There was a moment of silence, then a slot in the door opened.

"Password?" the man on the other side of the door asked in Russian.

"Freedom is worth fighting for _,_ " he stated calmly in Japanese.

There was a grunt on the other side before the slot closed. There was a click and the door swung open. He walked into the room and the tall, slender Russian man closed the door behind him and then gestured for the door behind him.

"Our leader has returned to the main base but his second is here and willing to speak to you _,_ " he said, switching to a heavily accented Japanese.

"Thank you _,_ " he replied and walked past the guard and into the room beyond. The room was arranged like a conference room with a large oval table surrounded by chairs that looked like they would break if someone sat on them. There was only one person in the room; a tall, broad-shouldered young man with spiky brown hair that fell to the base of his neck and pale-brown eyes hidden by a set of rectangular glasses. His gaze was fixed on the screen of the laptop in front of him but, when he heard the door closed, he lifted his head.

"Ah, Murkami Hozumi, welcome _,_ " he greeted the newcomer easily in Japanese, though he had a Spanish accent.

"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Mr. Reyes _,_ " Hozumi Murkami said.

"Please, call me Alejandro, or Ale as everyone calls me _,_ " Reyes said and gestured toward the seat next to him. "Please, take a seat _._ "

Hozumi walked over to the indicated seat and sat down, glancing at the laptop that Reyes was looking at. The second in command pressed a key on the keyboard, shutting the screen off and pushed it away before turning to Hozumi.

"Now, what can I do for you and the Crimson Sakuras, Murkami- _san,_ " he asked calmly.

Hozumi turned his gaze away from the laptop, figuring it wasn't any of his business. "We are running short on supplies and weapons and I came to request help from you. I would have come sooner but you were already gone," he replied.

Reyes hummed. "What did you do with the resources we have already given you? Surely you have not gone through them already? Those kinds of weapons do not come cheaply, you know _._ "

"Our forces were devastated by an attack by General Andon at the end of February, forcing us to go into hiding. We weren't able to take much with us when we retreated back to our hidden base to regroup and recuperate, not that we had much to take with us _,_ " Hozumi said.

"General Andon has been a thorn in your side for a while but he is not infallible. He is getting up in his years, even if he is a strong enemy. Granted, he would never defeat us _,_ " Reyes mused.

 _Arrogant bastard._ "Will you help us? Perhaps you can lend us some of those prototypes you've been using in your attacks?" Hozumi suggested.

Reyes laughed. "Even if I wanted to lend you those weapons, which I don't since you haven't proven yourself worthy of them yet, I would need the okay from the boss back in our main headquarters. He is the one in charge after all. On that note, I will need to contact him for approval to give you more resources _._ "

Hozumi frowned. "How long?" he asked.

"Anywhere from one week to two months _._ "

Hozumi gritted his teeth together. "You gave us our last batch of resources sooner than that," he said.

"The second time always takes longer than the first time. It is difficult for the boss to keep two cells stocked with resources without anyone noticing without adding a third organization into the mix _,_ " Reyes said with a shrug.

"Why do you have two cells in Japan of all places? I would have thought you would have two cells in a bigger area, like Mexico or South America," Hozumi asked.

"It is mostly for the Sakuradite," the second in command said. His phone rang at that moment and he pulled it out and flipped it open. " _Hola?_ " There was a moment of silence, then: " _Si. Tengo la información aquí pero tengo un huésped en el momento._ " Another moment of silence and a sigh. " _Bueno. Se illama Hokumi Murkami, el líder de la carmesí Sakuras._ " Yet another moment of silence. " _Si. Él quiere más recursos._ " Yet another moment of silence, then: " _Ellos fueron destruidos en su última batalla. No, le dije que me pondría en contacto con el jefe. Si. Bueno. ¡Hasta luego!_ " (1)

Reyes closed the phone and slipped it away, turning his attention back to Hozumi and switching back to Japanese. "Like I already said, I will contact the boss for your resources. But first, tell me, do you know anything about the newly rediscovered prince, Lelouch vi Britannia?"

Hozumi frowned. The name sounded familiar but he couldn't pinpoint where he had heard that name before, other than on the radio when the news of the thought-to-be dead prince being found alive had been released. "No, why do you ask?" he said.

Reyes pulled his laptop close to him again and turned the screen back on. "I was simply curious if you knew anything. I've been trying to dig up some information on Lelouch vi Britannia beyond what everyone else knows but, so far, I haven't been able to find much. I found out that he has a little sister named Nunnally, his mother was assassinated by terrorists six years ago, and he came to Japan during the Sakuradite Crisis but that's it. Hmm, makes me wonder why he didn't return to Pendragon when the invasion began _._ "

Hozumi peered at the screen and got a good look at the prince. He narrowed his eyes because, looking at the picture of the young black-haired Imperial Prince with his intelligent amethyst eyes, he recognized him. "I do know him _,_ " he murmured.

"Oh?" Reyes glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I never knew he was a prince nor did I ever get his name but I did run into him during the war when I was helping to fight back against the Britannian invaders. The only thing that really stood out was that he was willing hanging out, for lack of a better term, with a Japanese boy and said Japanese boy actually defended him and his little sister," Hozumi said, sneering a bit as he thought about the Japanese boy, the boy who looked like Genbu Kururugi and Hozumi figured that boy had to be his son. _Why he would associate with Britannians is beyond me,_ he thought.

"And do you know who this Japanese boy is?" Reyes asked.

"I didn't confirm it but I believe he is the son of Genbu Kururugi," Hozumi said.

"Oh? Now that is interesting. The son of the former Prime Minister defending two members of the Royal Family? Interesting. I will look up information on Genbu Kururugi's son. It may come in handy."

"Why are you looking up information on Lelouch vi Britannia anyway?" Hozumi asked curiously.

"One of the first things you need to know about fighting a war against an enemy, especially one as large as Britannia: you must _know_ your enemy before you can even _think_ about defeating them. The Royal Family is the enemy and, thus, we Liberators must know all we can about them if we want to stand a chance at defeating them."

"I suppose that is true."

Reyes typed something on his laptop, saved it, and closed it before turning to Hozumi. "I will contact the boss as soon as possible to get you more resources but, as I said, it is unlikely you will get them in less than three weeks."

Hozumi didn't like it because that meant that the Crimson Sakuras couldn't do anything for the next three weeks, at the least, but he had little choice in the matter. The Liberators were the only major terrorist organization, as they were about ten times _larger_ than the Japan Liberation Front, that willing supplied small organizations.

Speaking of their size, Hozumi had to know. "Considering how you haven't lost a single engagement with the Royal Family and considering the size of your organization, why haven't you struck at Pendragon yet when you can probably overrun it completely with sheer numbers if you wanted to?" he asked.

Reyes gave him an enigmatic smile. "Who said that was our objective?" he asked.

"But you just said…"

"Defeating the Royal Family and lashing out at Pendragon are two completely different things. You may leave now," Reyes said and, picking up his laptop, headed toward the door behind him. "I will contact you at a later date." Without another word, the second in command of the Liberators' Japanese cells left the room, leaving a puzzled Hozumi Murkami behind.

 **. . .**

 _April 29, 2016_

 _Basic Training Camp_

 _Dear Big Brother,_

 _When I said I wanted to see Suzaku, I didn't mean for you to drag him to see me kicking and screaming but Milly found it funny. She doesn't think you could do that, especially when I told her that Suzaku exercised a lot more than you ever did while we were staying at the Kururugi Shrine. Either way, please tell him that I'm looking forward to seeing him again._

 _I'm having fun here. Since the student council ran into a financial crisis, so to speak, Milly decided to hold a bake sale this Saturday to raise money for the school. I've already agreed to help but, before you worry, I've already asked Brother Clovis and he let one of his men act as my bodyguard. You'll never guess who it is? It's Jer._

"Jer?" Suzaku echoed from where he was reading the letter over Lelouch's shoulder.

Lelouch cast a sidelong glance at Suzaku and raised an eyebrow. "Don't you know it's illegal to read another person's mail? And she's talking about Jeremiah Gottwald," he said.

"It's got a message for me. That's the only reason I'm reading it. And isn't Jeremiah Gottwald the head of the Purist Faction?"

"We already passed that part. And, yes he is, but, before that, I remember him as part of my mother's Royal Guard before she was killed. I always did wonder what happened to him," Lelouch mused thoughtfully and went back to reading the letter to himself. Suzaku stood up and walked over to sit by Tadashi and started talking to him while Kay was reading his book and Rayne was seated cross-legged between the two bunkbeds, chatting with Lila who seemed just as comfortable as Rayne was.

 _Jer came and spoke to me personally, telling me that Clovis asked him to be my bodyguard for this Saturday and he agreed. He also apologized. He blames himself for what happened to Mother, even though it wasn't his fault._

Lelouch paused at that letter, his thoughts on Jeremiah's apology to his sister and he found himself thinking about just where the Royal Guard was when his mother was assassinated. _They should have been there to protect her. That's their job. Why weren't they?_ Lelouch made a mental note to question Jeremiah Gottwald as soon as he got back to the Tokyo Settlement and went back to the letter.

 _I finished my project for my art class, the one who's due date was postponed. I decided to do it on origami and asked Sayoko to teach me how to make origami cranes. Did you know that there's an old legend that states that if you make a thousand cranes, your wish will be granted? I didn't but I found it interesting so I decided to do my project on that legend. I had fun with it. I made a couple of cranes for you and Suzaku too. I'm not entirely sure what I want to wish for though._

 _It's getting late so I better finish this letter up. Write back as soon as you can, Big Brother. I love you._

 _Nunnally_

"So how's your sister doing?" Tadashi asked as Lelouch folded the letter up and put it back into its envelope.

"She's doing fine," Lelouch said and turned to Suzaku. "Suzaku, do you know about an old Eleven legend about making a thousand origami cranes and your wish will come true?"

Suzaku blinked but nodded. "Yeah, it's a pretty common tale, though I'm not entirely sure where it came from. I don't remember most of it, only that the person who made a thousand cranes ended up having their wish granted," he said.

"Hmm."

"It's just a story though, huh? I mean, that kind of thing doesn't happen in real life…does it?" Tadashi wondered.

"No," Lila said simply. "Things like magic and the supernatural do not exist in the real world. There is simply no proof."

"Not only that," Kay put in, looking up from his book. "It also depends on how you perceive magic. For example, people in ancient times would see technology as magical simply because they would not be able to explain it. That's usually what magic is, something that no one else can explain."

"I, personally, don't believe in anything supernatural. It's just something you'd find in a fiction story," Lila said.

"Like in one of those Shakespeare books Kay likes to read?" Rayne asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.

"There are plenty of supernatural elements in Shakespeare's plays," Kay said.

Lelouch nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, anyway, it would be nice if it was real," Tadashi said thoughtfully.

Lelouch agreed, though he knew that it wasn't. Like Lila said, it was just a story and stories weren't true.

 **. . .**

 _April 30, 2016_

The final task for the week was something that the Drill Sergeant called guerilla exercises in which the recruits would divide into squads and practice guerilla attacks so that they would understand what they were and how to fight against them. Lelouch ended up with the same squad that he always ended up with, which included the friends he had made over the course of the past couple of weeks as well as Dimitri, Nathan Storm, and Erin Light. The latter two of whom didn't look too happy to be in a group with Honorary Britannians, though Erin seemed exceptionally happy at finding out he was part of the group. He did hear Rayne mutter something about being thankful that Vivienne wasn't on their squad. He had heard about Vivienne and couldn't help but agree. Vivienne was one of those types of people that Lelouch disliked the most; the spoiled ones who thought that they didn't need to do anything, or thought that they were better at everything than everyone else, because they were noble. She was also a late-starter, starting only a few days ago, who only got in because her parents paid for her to get in. That kind of thing sickened Lelouch and reminded him of just how corrupt the system was; the strong devouring the weak, the rich devouring the poor, the nobility devouring the commoners, it was all the same.

"Oh, Your Highness, you're part of this group too?" Erin asked, moving to Lelouch's side as he walked over to join the squad. "I am so happy to have someone as intelligent as you on our squad."

"Suck-up!" Rayne coughed.

Tadashi snickered.

"Your mother was a legend," Erin went on, "and I'm sure that you're going to be just as great as her! No, I think you're gonna be _better_ than your mother ever was." She continued to issue those kinds of compliments and Lelouch was starting to develop a twitch in his left eye.

That was another thing that he hated about being part of the royal family again; the suck-ups. Thankfully, due to Lelouch's mother being a commoner and thus having quite a number of enemies, there weren't many members of nobility that actually sucked up to his family. But when he did run into someone who did, it was downright annoying.

Thankfully, Greene decided to show up at that moment and started the exercise before Erin's sugary downpour of compliments could snap Lelouch's straining patience.

Erin fell silent—"finally," Rayne muttered—as Greene ordered the squads to get into position and prepare to start the exercises. Lelouch was already scanning the area, his lips pressed together in thought as he studied the 'base' that they would be attacking. The stimulation was that Greene had called in some members of the army to act like the enemy forces and make the exercises seem more real-like. The weapons that were used were loaded with rubber bullets to mimic the feel of real bullets as closely as possible.

The exercise wasn't that hard. They were just tasked with showing that they understood what guerilla fighting was all about—it was essentially attacking, retreating to regroup, attacking again, and so on—while trying to avoid getting hit.

Lelouch, somehow, found himself drafted into the position of leader of his squad. Erin stated it was because he was a prince and that was what prince's did. Lelouch didn't mind that much; he preferred these kinds of roles anyway. Being a commander meant that he was the one in charge of the strategies and leading his troops into battle and Lelouch was very good at coming up with strategies.

For a guerilla attack, one would think that an actual strategy wasn't needed but Lelouch wasn't one of those. While Lelouch knew that, given the conditions that were presented to him, there was little chance of any variables being introduced, that didn't mean that such a thing would happen in actual combat. One must always keep in mind variables.

For now, though, having his men focus on striking at the weak points of the makeshift 'hideout' for the 'enemy' and then falling back and then repeating the process was a good enough plan. He did order his squad to rotate though, retreating in one direction and then attacking from another; this way, he kept the enemy guessing the entire time from which direction they would attack.

When Greene called a halt to the exercise, he glanced at Lelouch and inclined his head. "Impressive," he said and dismissed them back to their barracks.

"That was a well-thought out plan of yours, Your Highness," Dimitri said, falling into step beside Lelouch.

"Thank you," Lelouch said.

"I knew it. You really are better than Marianne," Erin said with a smile as she batted her eyelashes flirtatiously at Lelouch and giggled. The prince resisted the urge to cringe. _How the hell did I get a fangirl in the_ military _of all places?_ He thought incredulously.

 **. . .**

 _Outside Grocery Story, Tokyo Settlement_

"I hate this. I really, really, _really_ hate this!" Kallen growled to herself before plastering on a fake smile as she held the sign for the bake sale above her head. That, in itself, wasn't the problem with the job that Milly had given her—holding a sign over her head seemed easy enough—however, the problem came in the outfit that Milly insisted Kallen wear.

She was dressed like a maid with an apron dotted with cookies around her waist. However, her outfit did cause quite a few guys to ogle her as they walked past into the grocery store, often leading to them walking _into_ the door rather than through them. While that was amusing, Kallen still felt humiliated and cursed Milly for forcing her to do this, and Naoto for forcing her to go back to school.

 _If Naoto sees me now, he's gonna have a heartattack if he doesn't try to kill every guy who stares at me first,_ Kallen thought as she forced herself to call out cheerfully, "Bake sale!" and waved the sign again.

Milly was dressed the same way as was Shirley and Nina while Rivalz was, luckily enough, able to get out of wearing anything degrading.

Nunnally, whose guard—Jeremiah Gottwald—was leaning against the wall behind her, was cheerfully waving at the crowd and asking them to help out.

Everyone knew about Nunnally's status as a princess and quite a few of the people who had bought the baked goods had only stopped simply because they wanted to meet the thought-to-be-dead princess. Nunnally was as much a sweetheart as always, always kind and polite to everyone who greeted her and always with a genuine smile on her face.

It was getting harder and harder for Kallen to imagine her as the daughter of the Emperor.

And it was getting harder for Kallen to see her as the enemy. She just couldn't fathom a sweetheart like Nunnally as being her enemy. She had told Naoto about what she had learned about the vi Britannia siblings and he had told her to just leave them alone for the time being. As expected, Naoto wasn't about to attack members of the royal family directly.

 _"Besides, neither Princess Nunnally nor Prince Lelouch have done anything to warrant our anger. Yes, they are members of the Royal Family but, as we should know better than anyone, you can't judge someone based on who their parents are."_

Naoto was right and Kallen knew it. She would be a hypocrite if she judged Nunnally and Lelouch based on who their father was when she, herself, wanted no one to judge her based on who her own parents were. Her father, who divorced his Japanese wife and married that pureblood Britannian harlot, and then left Kallen alone with said harlot while he was away, for months at a time sometimes, at Pendragon. And then there was her mother, her pathetic excuse for a mother who was a maid for the harlot and treated horribly simply because she could not let go of her love for the man who left her.

She sighed to herself and decided that she would listen to her brother for now. She pushed the thoughts of the vi Britannia siblings out of her mind as she called out again to a couple of newcomers.

"We're making some good money," Rivalz commented, glancing at Nina. "How much have we raised so far, Nina?"

"Um, about 377 pounds," Nina said after counting the money for the third time.

"Damn," Rivalz whistled.

"Keep up the good work, you guys," Milly said with a grin. "We've almost got the amount we need to solve our financial crisis! Now everyone put a smile on and let's get some more customers in. Kallen, why don't you and Shirley switch out so you can rest? You're starting to look a little pale."

Kallen was thankful that she had decided to adopt the sickly girl façade when she was at school. It gave her an excuse to no longer parade herself in an attempt to draw in customers. She lowered her arms and, thanking Milly meekly, handed the poster to Shirley and took the seat behind the table next to Nunnally.

"Are you having fun, Kallen?" Nunnally asked, turning her face toward Kallen.

"A little," Kallen said.

"That's good. Here, have a cookie. Sayoko baked these and they're really good," Nunnally said, holding out a cookie from one of the open packets that she had grabbed earlier. They had all sampled the baked goods before and while they were selling them; it helped keep their energy up and, considering they had been there for three hours already, that was a good thing.

The red-haired girl took the cookie and bit into it, surprised by how chocolatey the cookie was. She always did like chocolate. "These are good," she said.

"Aren't they? Big Brother makes 'em like this all the time too and I think Sayoko's finally figured out Big Brother's secret," Nunnally said with a giggle.

"I still find it hard to believe that Lelouch bakes," Rivalz mused.

"Maybe you can ask him to bake you something when he gets back, Shirley, you know, since he's gonna be your boyfriend and all," Milly teased, glancing at Shirley who went red.

"He's not…I mean…he can't be…he wouldn't…uh…" the orangette stammered out.

"May we buy something?" A small family had come up to the table and saved Shirley from having to finish her response to Milly's words; a mother, a father, and two small children.

"Certainly," Milly said with a beaming smile. "We've got a lot of things up for sale. We've got cookies, brownies…"She listed everything that was on the table and gestured to each one in turn before naming off the prices as soon as the mother asked them.

"We'll go with four brownies, please," the mother said.

"Sure thing," Milly said and named the price while Kallen placed the four wrapped brownies into a paper bag and handed it to Nina. The mother walked over to join Nina and handed her the money before accepting the paper bag.

"Thank you," she said.

"Thank you," Nunnally said with a bright smile. "I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day."

"I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day as well, Your Highness," the mother said with a slight bow before she, her husband, and their children walked away.

Nunnally tilted her head toward where Gottwald was still leaning against the wall. "Do you want a cookie or a brownie or something, Jer?" she asked. This was the third time she had asked the purist leader if he wanted something to eat. The other times he had refused but, this time, he seemed to have gotten hungry enough because he agreed and accepted the cookie Nunnally handed him.

"I think we're almost done here," Milly said. "We've practically gotten the amount that we were trying for and we're almost out of items to sell anyway."

Kallen felt more than a little relieved.

 **. . .**

 _Naoto Kozuki's Apartment, Shinjuku Ghetto_

Naoto Kozuki, a tall, red-haired boy with blue eyes and a red headband wrapped around his forehead, was relaxing on his couch, flipping through the channels on his television set. So far, he hadn't really been doing much, especially not with the resistance since there was nothing to do at the moment. He was still waiting for any news that could provide him the opportunity to strike but Naoto wasn't reckless and wasn't going to take action until he had all the facts.

He wasn't going to be like the Crimson Sakuras.

Unlike the other terrorist groups in Japan, such as the Yamato Alliance, the Blood of the Samurai, and the biggest organization in Japan known as the Japan Liberation Front, the Crimson Sakuras were reckless. They had jumped headfirst into a battle against the Britannians at Osaka and had been defeated so badly that not only did they lose all the resources they were, somehow, able to amass in such a short time but they also lost many of their men. Two of the men that had been lost had been former members of the resistance cell that Naoto founded six months earlier.

"Hey, Naoto," Shinchiro Tamaki said, flopping down onto the couch beside Naoto. "Whatcha doing?"

"Watching TV," Naoto said dryly, though with a faint smile on his face.

"Oh, anything interesting on?"

"No. What are you doing here, Tamaki? I thought you were helping Sugiyama and Yoshida organize the supplies today," Naoto said.

"Oh, right, Sugiyama told me to tell you that we're running low on ammunition for our guns and we are still missing some parts to make that Glasgow we managed to salvage functional again," Tamaki said.

"Which parts?" Naoto asked as, in his mind, he went through the contacts he had made since he created his resistance cell until he found the person who could supply him the parts he needed.

Tamaki began searching through his jacket before he pulled out a piece of paper. "Yoshida wrote 'em down since he figured I'd forget 'em," he said, handing the paper to Naoto who scanned the list of parts, noting that there weren't as many as he thought there were.

"I know just the person to contact for these parts," he said, stuffing the paper into his pocket.

The door to the apartment opened and Naoto glanced up, frowning as his little sister Kallen swiftly slipped into the room, closing the door quietly behind her. She was carrying a bag in her hands. "What are you doing here, Kallen?" he asked.

"Can't I visit my big brother?" Kallen asked as she walked over to an armchair and sat down, placing the bag on the table. "Don't worry. I made sure I wasn't being followed or anything like that. Hi, Tamaki."

Tamaki waved at her in response.

"Still," Naoto said, still frowning.

Kallen huffed. "I know how to take care of myself," she muttered and then gestured to the table. "We had a bake sale today for school and Milly said that I could take whatever we didn't sell. I thought you might like 'em so I brought 'em with me."

"What'd ya bring?" Tamaki asked.

"Brownies, cookies, mini apple pies, mini peach pies, and a couple of strawberry stuffed pastries," Kallen said.

Tamaki's mouth was watering and he darted toward the bag, immediately searching through it.

"Don't eat 'em all, Tamaki. That's for everyone," Kallen added.

"I ain't gonna eat 'em all," Tamaki huffed, pulling out a wrapped mini apple pie and, after opening it, bit into it. "Damn, this is good! Naoto, you've gotta try one of these."

"You know I'm not that big a fan of sweets," Naoto said dryly.

"But you're gonna love these. C'mon, just try it," Tamaki said and dug into the bag before pulling out a wrapped mini peach pie and tossed it at Naoto whose hand, reflexively, shot out to grab it before it hit his face.

He huffed but, nonetheless, opened the pastry and bit into it. He chewed for a moment, surprised by how much he liked it. _Hmm, for once, Tamaki was right,_ he mused as he took another bite of the mini pie. "Okay, I'll admit, these are good," he said. "Who made them?"

"A maid that works for Princess Nunnally and Prince Lelouch," Kallen said. "So, have you found anything out, Big Brother? Do we have any upcoming missions?"

"You don't have anything to do other than return to school on Monday," Naoto said sternly, lowering the pie and ignoring the scowl Kallen threw at him. "As for me, I have someone I need to contact to get some needed parts so I'll probably be leaving for Osaka Monday morning."

"I can go with you and help," Kallen said immediately.

Naoto shook his head. "It's just ordering parts, Kallen, nothing more and, besides, you just barely started school again a few weeks ago. I don't want you to get behind. I'll be taking Ohgi with me so I'll be fine."

"But I wanna help," Kallen insisted.

Naoto smiled a little, his face softening. He knew that his little sister wanted to help out more with the resistance but Naoto was hesitant about letting her. He just wanted to keep her safe and protected and he felt that Ashford Academy would do that. He knew that Kallen wasn't happy there, or rather with living under the same roof as their stepmother, but she was safe. And she seemed to be making friends at Ashford so that was something that she hadn't had before she started going to the academy.

"I know you do, Kallen, but you'll be safer at Ashford," Naoto said out loud and, after a moment's thought, he added, "How about this? Next weekend, if I manage to get all the parts needed and get it working, I'll let you have a go in the Glasgow that we managed to salvage a couple of weeks ago."

Kallen brightened up immediately. She had taken a liking to knightmare piloting ever since she first saw it in action on the television and she stated that she always wanted to pilot one. "All right, deal," she said.

 **. . .**

(1) Translation from Spanish (via Google Translate): Yes. I have the information here but I have a guest at the moment. Okay. His name is Hokumi Murkami, the leader of the Crimson Sakuras. Yes. He wants more resources. They were destroyed in his last battle. No, I told him I would contact the boss. Yes. Okay. See you later.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: and that was chapter 7**

 **Lelouch: cool**

 **Suzaku: so what will happen next?**

 **Blaze: you gotta wait and see!**

 **Bakura: (deadpans) you just don't want to go through all your files to find the chapter and remind yourself of what happens**

 **Blaze: …shut up. So the next chapter will come out, hopefully, before the 22nd, which is when I go back to school, but I make no promises**

 **Bakura: yeah, she'll probably get distracted by a third _Code Geass_ story or with working on the sequel to _Divergence_**

 **Blaze: eh, either or, really. Anyway, reviews…**

 **- _Boom_ -**

 **Blaze: ...are much appreciated. All right, who blew up Luciano Bradley this time?**

 **Lelouch: this time, it was Kallen**

 **Kallen: (glares at Lelouch) you suck**

 **Lelouch: why? Blaze'll probably kiss you since she hates Luciano Bradley**

 **Blaze: I don't swing that way so I'll settle for this (hands Kallen a triple-decker chocolate cream pie)**

 **Kallen: (grins and takes chocolate cream pie) awesome**

 **Bakura: (reaches out to steal the chocolate cream pie)**

 **Kallen: (throws a chaos mine at Bakura and takes off)**

 **Bakura: oh fuck! (Gets blown up by chaos mine)**

 **Blaze: (sighs and pulls out the Numeron Code to bring Bakura back to life) first time that's happened**

 **Bakura: (once he's back to life) note to self: make sure Kallen does _not_ have weapons on her when I steal from her...or wait until she's asleep**

 **Blaze: (sighs) anyway, yeah, I already said what I needed to say. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Navigating Terrain

**Grr, the pre-chapter for this chapter isn't my best work. It's supposed to introduce Dimitri but, for some odd reason, it just doesn't seem that great.**

 **Bakura: naturally, it sucked**

 **Shut up, Bakura. Anyway, (glances at the date of the last update) August 13th? Sweet, up in less than a month. Next chapter will be up on Sunday. This time, I promise you that it will be up on Sunday.**

 **Hmm, eleven people reviewed the last chapter. You guys are awesome! Thank you to _Shadow-Shinobi666, Determined Savior, ewertondragon, Otaku-Nation666, Risembool Ranger8, Hufflepuffkat, PiroWolfxL, davycrockett100, DYnoJackal19, squeegywing,_ and _Shimmering-Sky_ for reviewing the last chapter. And a quick thank you to _Suzululu4moe_ for reviewing the first five chapters. You guys are awesome!**

 **Bakura: you already said that, _baka_**

 _ **C** **á**_ ** _llate, estúpido idiota!_**

 **Bakura: you just called me a stupid idiot, didn't you?**

 **Where the hell did you learn Spanish?**

 **Bakura: I have my ways**

 **...You stole Kaiba's Rosetta Stone, didn't you? (I don't own this)**

 **Bakura: are you really surprised?**

 **No, I suppose not. Anyway, he** **re is the introduction of Dimitri, a little bit of long-distance Lulu/Shirley (grins), a tiny bit with Lulu's new fangirl, and a look into Naoto's perspective. Yeah, that's pretty much it. And now that I have spoiled this entire chapter, enjoy and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _August 10, 2015_

 _Duncan Manor, Osaka Settlement_

 _Dimitri Duncan peered out the large window of his room with narrowed eyes. The streets were eerily empty, though Dimitri knew that was only because of the terrorist attack that had occurred earlier that day. Five years had gone by since the invasion of Japan, now called Area 11, and terrorist always seemed to attack on the anniversary of the start of the invasion._

 _It was for that reason that Dimitri was indoors, even though he would much rather be with his parents. His parents had left the day before to go hiking to the Minoh Falls and Dimitri hadn't wanted to go with. Even if he did enjoy the outdoors, he just didn't feel like it._

 _Now, he wished that he had gone._

 _He didn't like being cooped up in the house with virtually nothing to do. While he was eighteen and could leave the house if he wanted to, he knew that it would be suicide with how active the terrorists where._

 _And the fact that Osaka, like Tokyo, was a hotspot for terrorist attacks on the anniversary._

 _He sighed and got to his feet, walking out of his room. He decided that if he couldn't go outside then he could, at least, find something to do. So he headed for the library; his parents library was large and held many kinds of books that proved interesting._

 _Dimitri was going not for the books, this time, but for the maps._

 _Ever since he was little, Dimitri enjoyed looking at maps and drawing various landmarks he found on them; drawing, by itself, was something an old friend of his had gotten him into as a hobby since she did it as well. He was good at navigation as well as he had once helped his parents find their destination after they had gotten lost when they were going to visit Akita._

 _Maps and navigation weren't the only things that he enjoyed looking at or doing though; he also enjoyed working with computers and had taught himself how to navigate his way around a computer system. He could even hack various places and without his parents knowing at that. Granted, he didn't do that often but he did keep in mind that it might come in handy, at least according to Gabriel, who was a friend of his parents and a computer genius._

 _"Um, Lord Duncan, would you like something to eat?" One of the Eleven maids that worked in the Duncan household said as Dimitri walked past her._

 _"Not right now," he said dismissively._

 _"Um, okay, sir."_

 _Dimitri disappeared into the library and headed toward the geography section. He scanned the books and atlases that were located there until he found the book that he had been reading the last time he had come in here._

 _He pulled it out and made his way to a spare table, opening the book up to the page where he had stopped. The makeshift drawing of the map that Dimitri had been making was lodged between the pages._

 _He removed it and began flipping through the book, reading about the landmarks and historic sites that filled the area that the map was based on. That was another thing that he enjoyed doing; he enjoyed reading about history and historical landmarks._

 _He has always been a history buff as well._

 _The door opened and Dimitri looked up as the maid from earlier came into the room. "Um, you have a call, Lord Duncan," she said nervously, wringing her hands together as if afraid something bad would happen since she interrupted him._

 _Nothing bad would happen. Dimitri may have been raised to be discriminatory against Elevens but he didn't hate them and he always gave them a chance to prove that they weren't a threat. Not all Elevens were terrorists and, while many Britannians might believe that isn't true, Dimitri wasn't among them._

 _"Who?" Dimitri asked._

 _"Your father."_

 _"I'll be up in a minute."_

 _"Yes, sir." The maid left and Dimitri sighed, putting his makeshift bookmark back into the book, figuring he wouldn't be able to come back to his hobby until later. Putting the book back in its proper spot, he left the library to go and see what his father wanted._

 **. . .**

 **8**

 **Navigating Terrain**

 _May 2, 2016_

 _Basic Training Camp_

Dimitri joined the rest of the acquaintances that he had made since he started at basic training in the barracks after drills that morning. While he still wasn't entirely sure what to make of the two Honorary Britannians, they had proved themselves to be dedicated to the training, even if Akiyama was a bit of a lazy slacker at times. He also knew that the other one, Kururugi, was a good friend of the resident member of the royal family, though he had no clue how.

There also wasn't much formality between Prince Lelouch and the rest of the acquaintances that he had made, Dimitri being the exception. Even if the prince preferred it that way, Dimitri couldn't exactly let go of how he was raised.

"So how's Nunnally, Lelouch? And how'd that bake sale go?" Kururugi asked, sitting down beside Lelouch on the bunk as the prince scanned the letter he had been given during mail call earlier.

"It went well, according to Nunnally, and she's doing fine. She wishes I could've helped with the treats they were selling though," Lelouch said, folding the letter and returning it to its envelope.

"You can bake?" Akiyama echoed, lips quirking in amusement.

"I didn't know that," Kururugi said, also looking amused.

Lelouch huffed. "Nunnally wanted some cookies one day, about two years ago, and Sayoko wasn't there to bake them so I did for her. She ended up loving them," he said.

"Ah, well, glad to know that you got better at cooking and you're not burning down any kitchens anymore," Kururugi said with a grin.

Lelouch glared. "That was _your_ fault, Suzaku, and you know it," he retorted.

Kururugi tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. "Oh, yeah," he said with a sheepish smile. "Yeah, Dad was _not_ happy with me at all after that." His voice seemed to catch a little when he said that and he looked away when Lelouch gave him a curious look.

Dimitri watched the interaction between Prince Lelouch and Kururugi, brow furrowed in slight puzzlement. Their friendship was something that still took Dimitri by surprise; it was hard to believe that a Britannian Prince and an Honorary Britannian could be such good friends. He didn't know just how they met, though their words suggested that they had known each other from before the invasion of Area 11.

Dimitri only figured that out because Kururugi had mentioned his father and everyone knew that it was the suicide of Genbu Kururugi that ended the month-long war that turned Japan into Area 11.

"Hey, maybe you can teach me some tricks to baking, Lelouch," Rayne suggested, moving over to sit on Lelouch's other side. "I've been wanting to get better 'cause Kay says I suck at baking."

"You do," Kay said bluntly, flipping the page of his book and ignoring Rayne who stuck out her tongue at her twin.

"How did you learn how to bake anyway?" Kururugi asked curiously, glancing at Lelouch who smiled a small, sad smile, his amethyst eyes filling with remembrance.

"My mother was a pretty good baker and taught me a few things," he admitted and shook his head, turning his gaze back to Rayne, though not before quickly composing himself. "If you wish, I can give you a few tips."

Rayne grinned. "Thanks, you're the best!" She said, slinging her arm around Lelouch's shoulder and nearly knocking him off his bed.

Dimitri frowned at the blatant disrespect and lack of formality but Lelouch didn't seem to mind. He just gently pushed Rayne's arm off his shoulder without a single word and straightened, stretching his back. It was odd that a member of the royal family would actually prefer this kind of friendliness from the people who were likely going to be his subordinates someday.

Dimitri felt he should be used to this kind of treatment from the others who trained alongside him after dealing with it for the past few weeks and yet he wasn't.

Later, the group entered the mess hall for dinner and, after grabbing their trays of food, made their way over to a nearby empty table. As they sat down, they were joined by Erin who was happily plopped into a seat beside Lelouch, the same seat Rayne had been about to sit in. The blue-haired girl scowled and went to sit by her brother.

"Hello, Your Highness," Erin said with a bright smile. "How was your day?"

"Fine," Lelouch said, a bored expression on his face as he ate.

"That's good!" Erin said and started chatting with Lelouch, or rather at him. It was clear, by the bored expression on Lelouch's face that the prince wasn't really paying much, if any, attention to the woman next to him.

"Doesn't she see that he's not interested?" Akiyama murmured to Kururugi.

"Doesn't she see that this is not a school and she should not be flirting with someone she's training with?" Lila said as she swallowed a bite of food.

"I find it amusing that she's being given the cold shoulder and isn't even realizing it," Rayne mused, leaning over so that she could talk to them without being heard by Erin. But then Erin seemed to be in her own little world, talking mostly about herself; how her parents were nobility, how she admired Marianne vi Britannia, how she was going to be the best knightmare pilot of all the recruits.

All the while, Lelouch just listened and ate, though it was unclear whether he was really doing the former.

However, when he was taking a drink of water, Erin mentioned something about marriage to unite her family with the vi Britannias, and he proceeded to choke on his water, it became clear that he _was_ listening to what Erin was saying.

"Are you okay?" Erin asked.

"Fine," Lelouch said, once he managed to get his breath back and stopped coughing. "Where did the idea of marriage come from?"

"Oh, it's just something my parents mentioned in a letter they sent me when I told them that I was training with you. I've never agreed with arranged marriages though and Mom and Dad have agreed not to arrange any marriages for me. I'd like to find a husband that likes me for me, not because we _have_ to get married," Erin said, looking distant at the thought of getting married in the future. She shook her head and turned to Lelouch. "What about you?"

He blinked at her. "What about me?"

"Have you ever thought about marriage?"

Lelouch blinked again. "Not really," he said.

Erin tilted her head to the side. "Really? I'm sure you have plenty of girls falling over themselves to be near you," she said and she stood up. "I'm gonna go find my friends and I'll introduce you to them." She jogged away.

Lelouch pushed his tray away and banged his head against the table. "Seriously, how the hell do I have fangirls in the _military_ of all places?" he muttered and then glared at Kururugi when the Honorary Britannian began to snicker.

 **. . .**

 _Suminoe Ghetto, Near the Osaka Settlement_

Naoto guided the car along the road, heading toward the city of Osaka in the distance, Ohgi was seated in the passenger's seat, scanning the map in front of him and occasionally glancing out the window. "We should be reaching the turnoff soon," he said, scanning the decrepit buildings that they drove by.

Naoto nodded and scanned the area, noting that the ghettos seemed to have gotten worse since the last time he had been in Osaka. But then, not much had changed for the ghettos since the invasion. He had only been thirteen when Britannia had invaded Japan but he could still remember it very well. He and his sister had been lucky enough that their father was Britannian and was able to shield them from the horrors of the war, though he knew Kallen resented their father for divorcing his Japanese wife to marry a Britannian noble.

Naoto did as well and he hated his stepmother just as much as Kallen did; the woman really was a bitch and has hated Naoto and Kallen since she first met them because of their half-Japanese heritage. By the time that Naoto was eighteen, he finally had enough and, after telling his parents to 'fuck off', he left and hadn't returned since.

He started his resistance six months ago after seeing a particularly gruesome display of Britannian superiority that resulted in the death of one of the friends he had made in the Shinjuku Ghetto and her family. He wanted Japan to once again be free and no longer under the control of Britannia; he wanted everyone to have the chance to live their own lives while not being discriminated against.

And, more importantly, he wanted the Japanese the chance to be able to _enjoy_ their lives and not live in fear that they would not get to see the next day.

It was that death of his friend that truly made him want that for all the Japanese and so he started his resistance.  
Kaname Ohgi, who was another close friend that Naoto had made when he went to live in the Shinjuku Ghetto, was the first one he recruited. Naoto had first met Ohgi when he witnessed him patiently teaching some kids a few years younger than Kallen in an old abandoned school building. They had started talking and soon became good friends; Ohgi was the first one to agree to join Naoto's resistance when he started it up half a year earlier and Naoto had named him his second in command, despite being the younger of the two.

"Here," Ohgi said, pointing to a narrow dirt path that Naoto probably would have driven right past had Ohgi not been paying attention.

He turned the car and began driving along the narrow, winding dirt road, heading deeper into the Suminoe Ghetto near Osaka.

"It seems the city itself is still repairing itself," Ohgi noted and Naoto observed the city that they drove past and saw that Ohgi was right. The buildings at the edge of the city seemed about ready to collapse and there were pieces of destroyed knightmares and tanks laying scattered on the streets.

"Yeah. From what I know about the battle, it was pretty one sided," Naoto said, observing the wreckage. "How far?"

"Another mile," Ohgi said.

Naoto nodded and they drove in silence for the remaining mile before Ohgi told him to turn off and they headed toward an abandoned building. Naoto pulled into the side street next to the building once Ohgi told him that they were there and climbed out. Ohgi climbed out as well and the two of them made their way into the abandoned building. They walked across the empty first floor and toward the door at the back that would lead to the basement.

Walking down the stairs, they reached the door and Naoto stepped up to it, knocking three times, waiting, and then knocking once. There was a click and the door opened up, revealing a short, broad-shouldered brown-haired man in his early thirties.

"Come in," the man said, stepping aside and Naoto and Ohgi walked into the basement. It was littered with spare parts, pieces of metal, stacks of paper, and books that appeared to have avalanched at some point.

"So what can I do for you, Kozuki?" the man asked, taking a seat in a ratty old armchair.

"We need some parts," Naoto said, taking a seat across from the man and fishing out the paper Tamaki had given to him two days earlier.

"Oh? What for?"

"We managed to salvage an old Glasgow Knightmare frame and just need those parts in order to get it functional again," Naoto said, holding out the paper. His contact took the paper and scanned the list, nodding.

"I have all of these parts but it's gonna cost ya," he said.

"How much?"

"Fifty."

"Fifty?" Ohgi repeated incredulously.

"Each," the man said.

Naoto raised an eyebrow. "That seems like a lot for a bunch of spare parts," he said.

His contact shrugged. "Gotta get by somehow and pay bills and all that," he said.

"How about thirty each?" Naoto suggested.

His contact shook his head. "I can go as low as forty five," he said.

"I don't have that much on me. I can go to thirty-five," Naoto suggested.

His contact pressed his lips together. "Since ya've been such a good customer these past couple of months, I will go was low as forty for you," he said.

Naoto pretended to think about it for a moment but he had expected the price to be around that and had brought enough to cover it if he managed to convince his contact to go that low. "All right. We've got a deal," he said, holding out a hand.

His contact took it and shook it. "I would like the money upfront however," he said.

"Of course," Naoto said and reached into his pockets and pulling out the money. He counted out the appropriate amount and handed the pounds to his contact who counted them himself and then stuffed them away. He walked over to the pile of spare parts and began pulling out the ones that were on the list.

Ten minutes later, Naoto and Ohgi were heading back to the Tokyo Settlement.

"At least we got those parts," Naoto commented as he guided the car down the streets. "Though there really isn't much we can do now. I have some spies keeping an eye on Clovis and General Andon right now but, so far, they haven't reported anything of use, other than the fact that Andon might be retiring soon."

"He's going to be retiring soon?" Ohgi echoed. "Isn't that a good thing?" General Andon was the Commander-in-Chief of the 11th Division and held absolute military control of all of Area 11. He was the one in charge of all the battles that occurred between the Britannian forces in Area 11 and the terrorists that chose to attack, the most recent one being the Crimson Sakuras. While he was not the Goddess of Victory Cornelia li Britannia, he was a dangerous and intelligent enemy who has succeeded in outthinking many of his enemies.

"Perhaps but that depends entirely on who is chosen to replace him," Naoto said. "But he won't be retiring for a while, according to that spy. He just said that the General was thinking about it."

Actually getting a spy in the military base had been one of the hardest things that Naoto ever had to do. It was much easier to get spies in other places than in something as secure as the military base. But then the only reason he got a spy in the military base was because _he_ had approached Naoto himself; the spy was a Japanese who watched his family get killed in the early days of the invasion and wanted revengeyg but decided to get it from _within_ , hence why he joined the military.

No one but Naoto knew that his spy in the military base was an Honorary Britannian. He knew that the rest of his resistance wouldn't take too kindly to that, since they saw all Honorary Britannians as traitors. Naoto didn't, at least, not entirely. Many of them had a good reason for joining; protecting their families, feeding their families, and so on.

It was their choice and Naoto couldn't fault them for their choice. They had the right to choose what they wanted to do with their lives and Naoto refused to condemn them for their decision or force his views on them.

But some didn't see things the way he did.

"I see," Ohgi said and turned his gaze back to the road.

 **. . .**

 _May 3, 2016_

 _Forest Around Basic Training Camp_

Lelouch scanned the map in front of him. Today was the second day of the navigation course of basic training in which the recruits were taught how to navigate and use maps. It was a good thing that he already knew how to read maps; the geography classes that he took at Ashford certainly came in handy.

"So what exactly are we supposed to do?" Tadashi asked, looking up from his map.

"Find our way to the rendezvous point," Rayne said.

Tadashi frowned at the map. "This map just doesn't make any sense," he complained.

Kay wordlessly reached over, took the map, turned it over, and handed it back.

Tadashi blinked. "Ohhh, that makes so much more sense. Thanks, Kay," he said brightly and began studying the map again, paying so much attention to it that he didn't see where he was walking and walked into a tree. "Ow!"

The exercise was done, once again, in squads and, once again, Lelouch found himself in the same squad he has been in since he started training. They were tasked with navigating their way through the forest to their assigned rendezvous points; this exercise was to test their skills at map-reading and navigation.

"All right, so where do we go now?" Rayne asked, glancing toward Lelouch.

"Might I make a suggestion, Your Highness?" Dimitri asked.

"Of course, Dimitri," Lelouch said.

"I suggest we take this path," Dimitri said, pointing to a path on the map. "It will be the easiest path to travel and will take us directly to the rendezvous point without much obstacles so long as we keep heading west."

"And which way's west? I got turned around by the time we got here," Tadashi said.

Dimitri looked at the sky and pressed his lips together before nodding and pointing directly in front of them. "That way is west," he said confidently.

Lelouch studied him before nodding. "Then we'll go that way. Dimitri, take point. Erin, Nathan, bring up the rear," he ordered calmly.

"Yes, Your Highness," Dimitri said.

"Sure thing," Erin said with a bright smile and dropped back to the rear of the group.

"Yes, Your Highness," Nathan said with a bow and joined Erin at the back of the group.

Dimitri took the lead and led the way through the forest, eyes occasionally going back to the map in front of him or to the sky or to the trees. He would tell them when to turn as they made their way through the winding trail deeper into the forest and, occasionally, he would stop and mark a tree with a tree branch.

They reached the rendezvous point within the allotted time but then were tasked with navigating their way back to the camp without the use of a map.

"And just how are we gonna do that?" Tadashi complained.

"Just retrace our steps," Dimitri said. "I have marked the trees that line the path we took to get here so we simply have to follow the marked trees."

"That was good thinking, Dimitri," Lila said.

"Thank you," Dimitri said.

The group began heading back the way they had come, following the marks on the trees that Dimitri had thought to make.

"I used to do this all the time when I went hiking with my parents," Dimitri said when Lelouch asked him why he thought to mark the trees as they walked past a few trees. "I used to be the one to lead them since they have a terrible sense of direction. I like maps, especially drawing them, but I guess I find it easier to navigate using the sun and landmarks as opposed to relying on maps."

"A good skill to have in case you end up in a situation in which you don't have a map," Lelouch mused thoughtfully.

"I agree, Your Highness," Dimitri said.

"So ya like drawing maps, Dimitri?" Rayne asked, falling into step on Dimitri's other side as they continued to move through the forest.

Dimitri nodded. "Yes. I find it relaxing," he said. "I mostly just draw maps of places that I know and mostly from memory."

"From memory? Nice. Do you have a photographic memory or something?"

"Or something," Dimitri said. "I'm just good at memorizing details, that's all."

"Photographic memory is actually really rare," Kay put in, glancing over his shoulder at them.

"Lelouch has a photographic memory," Suzaku said.

"You do?" Rayne said, glancing at Lelouch.

Lelouch nodded.

"Cool!"

"Why don't we focus on finishing this part of our training instead of chatting about something that has nothing to do with what we are doing?" Lila said dryly.

"Ah, lighten up, Lila. We're just passing the time by talking. Ain't nothing against that," Tadashi said with a cheerful smile. "And there really isn't. I actually looked at the rules and it says nothing about talking during exercises unless they require you to not talk and this one doesn't."

Lila sniffed. "Yes but I believe it would be best if we talked about the actual exercise," she said.

"We were," Rayne deadpanned. "We're talking about maps and this whole exercise is about navigation."

"Still. Can we focus on completing the exercise? We will end up being the last group to arrive if we keep this up," Lila said flatly.

Lelouch knew that being the last group to return wouldn't be a good thing for Lila, Rayne, Tadashi, and Suzaku, mainly because the Drill Sergeant would blame them for their squad being the last one to arrive. They had done it before during one of the Teamwork Courses they had to fulfill, even though they were only last because Nathan and Rayne had gotten into an argument.

They got into trouble for that and it was only because they didn't, technically, break any rules or regulations that they weren't reprimanded. But Rayne took most of the blame for it, further proving that Sergeant Greene really was sexist.

"Lila's right. We should get moving," Lelouch said out loud.

The rest of the group nodded and they set out again.

 **. . .**

 _May 5, 2016_

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

Kallen made her way into the meeting room and noticed that it was almost completely empty. The rest of the student council weren't there; the only ones that were there were Nina and Nunnally, the latter of whom was happily working on an origami crane while the former was typing away on her computer.

Nina looked up. "Oh, hey Kallen," she said and returned her gaze to her computer.

"Where is everyone?" Kallen asked as she took a seat. "Didn't we have a meeting?"

"We do but everyone's running late I guess," Nina said quietly.

Kallen nodded and turned to Nunnally, noticing that the princess seemed to be concentrating on making the appropriate folds for the origami crane she was working on. Already, she had three resting on the table in front of her. "How many have you made so far?" she asked curiously.

Nunnally turned her face toward Kallen. "I dunno. I lost count after two hundred," she said with a smile.

"You certainly are making a lot of 'em," Kallen noted.

"Well, yeah, I want my wish to come true so I'm gonna try and make a thousand of them," Nunnally said, turning her gaze back to the crane while Kallen bit her lip, frowning to herself.

 _She actually believes that old tale?_

Kallen had stopped believing in the supernatural a long time ago, during the invasion to be exact, but she was surprised that Nunnally actually believed a _Japanese_ story. She was Britannian after all. She and her brother were members of the royal family and, while they didn't pose a threat at the moment, they were still Britannians.

"Here you go, Kallen," Nunnally said, holding out the origami crane that she had just finished. It was made out of red origami paper. "This one's for you."

But then the rest of the Student Council was also Britannian and Kallen had come to tolerate them more than the rest of the student body.

She accepted the origami crane. "Thanks," she said, noting that the crane, while a bit lopsided, was actually pretty well folded.

The door opened and Kallen looked up to find Milly, Rivalz, and Shirley making their way into the meeting room.

"So sorry we're late," Milly said with a bright smile as she took her seat at the table, plopping the stack of folders that she had been carrying while Shirley and Rivalz took their seats. "My grandfather wanted to speak to me, Shirley's meeting with the swim team lasted longer than she thought it would, and Rivalz had to make up a test he did poorly on."

"So what's on the agenda for today, Milly?" Shirley asked.

"Not much, honestly," Milly admitted. "The clubs' financial crisis has been taken care of. My next festival isn't going to happen for a couple more months and the only real thing we need to do is make sure the clubs have submitted their updated member list and that shouldn't take that long."

"Well, do you wanna hear how Big Brother's doing?" Nunnally suggested.

"I'm sure Shirley would _love_ to know what her boyfriend's been up too," Milly said with a grin and Shirley went red.

"He's not…I mean I…uh…" Shirley stammered out.

Milly laughed.

Nunnally pulled out the letter and held it out. "Sayoko read it to me in the morning," she said.

"I'll read it now," Milly said and took the letter before opening it up. Clearing her throat, she began to read:

" _Dear Nunnally,_

 _Things have been going good for me here. We've started a unit in which we're being taught how to navigate and so we're spending quite a bit of our time outside. It's actually really nice and reminds me a lot of the time before the invasion. Remember the incident with the river that I told you I would never let Suzaku live down? I haven't yet._ "

Milly paused as Nunnally began giggling. "So what's the story behind that?" she asked curiously.

Nunnally controlled her giggling and smiled. "Long story short, we got lost, Big Brother and Suzaku were arguing about which direction to go in, Suzaku went in one direction and ended up tripping and falling into a river," she said and started giggling again.

That was another thing that had Kallen confused. It sounded as if Lelouch and Nunnally had been friends with a Japanese boy and, according to this letter, it sounded as if they had been here _before_ the invasion had begun.

 _But why? What were they doing in Japan before the invasion? And why didn't they return to Britannia when the invasion began?_ The more Kallen thought about it, the more she felt like she was missing something important and that the clues that were present in the letters Lelouch was sending Nunnally were doing little to fill in the gaps in her knowledge.

Milly waited until Nunnally calmed down and then started reading again:

" _I don't have much else to talk about, honestly. Since I have no doubt Milly is either the one reading this to you or is reading this to the rest of the student council, I'm including my own greetings to her, Shirley, Rivalz, and Nina. I hope you guys are doing well and I will come by and visit you as soon as I return to the Tokyo Settlement. Oh and Shirley, we can go out to dinner after I graduate. We can work out an actual day and time then._ "

Milly broke off and blinked, staring at that line and then turning to Shirley who was blushing and looking everywhere but at Milly. "Oh, Shirley? Something you wanna tell us?" she asked with a grin.

Shirley's blush deepened and she looked down. "I, uh, m…may have…uh…asked Lulu out…t…to dinner in Nunna's last letter," she stammered out.

"Good for you! It's about time that you took the plunge!" Milly said happily, patting the red-as-a-tomato Shirley on the shoulder.

"I'm shocked that Lelouch actually agreed to it," Rivalz murmured. "Hasn't he been like completely clueless since day one?"

"Maybe he's _finally_ gotten a clue," Milly said and went back to the letter. "Well, okay, the rest of the letter is just him giving his greetings to Prince Clovis and Jeremiah so, yeah, we've read the part dealing with us." She handed the letter back to Nunnally who took it and tucked it away. "Now, let's get to work! And then, Shirley, we can start planning your date with Lelouch!"

"B…But that's like five weeks away. Why are we starting now?" Shirley said with a frown. "And why are we planning anything? We're just gonna go out to dinner."

"But you wanna make a good first impression, right? I think I got the perfect outfit that will definitely show off your curves," Milly said with a perverted smirk as Shirley went red again.

"M…Madame President!"

While Milly and the rest of the student council were all right for Britannians, Kallen was once again reminded of just how much of a perverted She-Devil Milly really was.

 **. . .**

 _May 7, 2016_

 _Basic Training Camp_

 _...And I got to spend some time with Jer and Clovis today. We had lunch in the garden in the Viceroy's Palace and talked about when you and I were younger. It was nice and relaxing, a nice break from schoolwork, especially since we didn't have school today._

 _Milly_ _came_ _up with an idea for a ball that she's planning on holding. She just came up with this yesterday during the student council meeting. It's going to be a fairy tale-themed ball and it sounds like it's going to be fun. I offered to help with the decorations and Sayoko's going to be making some snacks for it. I think she's going to try and figure out the secret for your brownies this time._

 _I want to get this letter out before the mail stops being delivered so I better end it now. I hope that you're having a good time but I miss you. I love you, big brother._

 _Love,_

 _Nunnally_

Lelouch put the letter down and returned it to the envelope just as the bell ending the lunch break rang.

"So what are we doing next?" Tadashi asked curiously as the group, after throwing their trash away, walked out of the mess hall and headed toward the training grounds along with the rest of the recruits.

"The Fit-to-Win Obstacle Course," Kay said.

"Another one?" Tadashi groaned.

Lelouch couldn't help but agree with him. Even if he had built of a lot of stamina, well, more than he had when he first started out, as well as some muscles, he didn't suddenly like exercise or training. And he hated the obstacle course, more so than he did the drills in the morning or the foot marches.

"It doesn't seem like it'll be that bad," Suzaku said.

"You would say that, exercise nut," Lelouch said.

Suzaku smirked at him. "Real original, Lelouch," he said.

"Once again, if it works…"

The group entered the training area and Sergeant Greene strode to stand in front of the recruits, causing all of them to stand at attention. "At ease," Greene said and then gestured to the obstacle course that lay behind him. It was a series of various kinds of obstacles, such as a three foot high wall, a low crawl wire, a thirty inch high balance log and so on. It didn't seem like it would be that difficult.

"You will be running against the clock in this," Greene stated firmly as he clasped his hands behind him and paced, his cool eyes scanning the recruits. "You have fifteen minutes to finish the course." He strode off to the edge of the clearing and everyone moved to the starting line.

"And begin!" he barked out.

The recruits took off.

No surprise that Kay and Suzaku were leaving everyone in their dust. Suzaku was an exercise nut and Kay was fast and nimble. Both of them were able to ease their way through the obstacles they came across; they did have some trouble, such as with the balancing log, but they managed to make it over them.

Lelouch was just glad that he was able to stay with the main bulk of the recruits. The obstacles really weren't that hard for Lelouch to get through and, thanks to the breathing exercises that Kay had taught him during the unarmed combat unit a few weeks ago, he was able to keep himself from losing his breath.

As it was, it took him fourteen minutes and ten seconds to finish the obstacle course.

"Okay, who won between you two this time?" Rayne asked as she swallowed a drink of water once they had gathered in the area where the recruits were allowed to cool down and rest.

"Kay," Suzaku said.

"By two seconds," Kay said with a quiet smile.

Rayne laughed. "So it's one to one then? I wonder who's gonna end up having the most wins by the time basic training ends?" she said.

Lila, frowning, opened her mouth to respond and Rayne, noticing, said quickly, "Not that they're gonna be focusing on that 'cause that's not what basic training is about, of course." It was obvious she did not want another professionalism lecture from Lila and, judging by the relieved looks on Tadashi's, Kay's, and Suzaku's faces, Lelouch mused that they probably didn't either.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: I feel kinda disappointed in this chapter and I don't really know why**

 **Bakura: it sucked**

 **Blaze: (lifts up flaming machete) you wanna repeat that a third time?**

 **Bakura: (wisely shuts up)**

 **Lelouch: I thought it was okay**

 **Suzaku: so did I**

 **Blaze: I suppose so.**

 **Kallen: so what's happening in the next chapter?**

 **Blaze: you know that girl that was briefly mentioned, more or less just her name, earlier? The one that was mentioned when Erin was introduced?**

 **Suzaku: oh...her...is she gonna be another Bree?**

 **Lelouch: please, oh please, don't make her another Bree! Please!**

 **Blaze: (chuckles) relax. She's not a yandere and she's really only a minor character, brought in for the purpose of showcasing the self-entitled, superior-than-thou side of Britannian society that we all know exists. She's more a symbol than anything, basically she's a shallow bitch—in the eyes of those who see and interact with her anyway—and won't really play a large part in this arc. She does play a slightly larger part in Arc III but not really that much.**

 **Kallen: why do I get the feeling she's cannon fodder?**

 **Blaze: I have no idea what you're talking about. Moving on! So she's gonna make an appearance in the next chapter. What else will happen? A lot, including more with Naoto and Kallen and more with B.B. and Tara, including touching a bit more upon Tara's Geass.**

 **Lelouch: cool**

 **Blaze: I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	9. Marksmanship and Knightmares

**Bakura: "Next chapter will be up on Sunday." You said. "This time, I promise you that it will be up on Sunday." You said. (Scoffs) I told you so.**

 **Oh shut up, Bakura. It's not my fault. I forgot two homework assignments that were due today and...I kinda just forgot after that. Anyway, well, here's the next chapter that I promised to post yesterday. Sorry 'bout that. (Looks at number of reviews for the last chapter) Ten people reviewed the last chapter…**

 **Bakura: you didn't respond to any of them, you know**

 **I responded to one of them...yeah, well, no one asked a question except that one person so I'll just give all of them a simultaneous thank you and shout out.**

 **Thank you to the nine people who reviewed last chapter: _harlequin320,_ _Risembool Ranger8, ewerntondragon, DYnoJackal19, FATH1, Shadow-Shinobi666, squeegywing, Determined Savior, Shimmering-Sky,_ and _davycrockett100_ for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

 **Next chapter will be out...well, hopefully within the month. Since I've got the first two arcs finished, I'm going to try and finish the third arc as soon as I can, though I know that's going to be a while because that's when we start getting into the timeline in which we reach the events of canon Season 1 (as I mentioned already, some events will be kept and altered but some will be deleted).**

 **I hope that you enjoy this chapter and...Vivienne...She'll get development in ARC III but, hopefully, I didn't make her _that_ big of a shallow bitch...Well, if I did, all I can say is she does get better in ARC III, or worse. I haven't gotten that far yet so I don't really know...**

 **Bakura: You're rambling, moron. Shut up! (Grabs Blaze and ducts tape her mouth shut) Blaze hopes you enjoy this chapter and reviews are always appreciated, so review, you foolish mortals.**

 **. . .**

 **Update Note 10/21/2016: A reviewer spotted a mistake in terms of use of word, one that, for some odd reason, I didn't notice, despite the word being used as often as it had been in this chapter and the next one. Whoops. Well, those have been fixed.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _December 25, 2012_

 _Hangar, Frost Manor, Pendragon_

 _Kayden Frost peered at the gray knightmare frame that was positioned at the center of the hangar that lay on the edge of the grounds near Frost Manor. The_ Glasgow _towered above the technicians that were working on it and Kayden smiled a little._

 _The thirteen-year-old scrambled down from his perch on the railing and made his way toward the stairs that would take him to the hangar's floor. The technicians, already used to Kayden sneaking into the hangar to watch them work, said nothing. They didn't mind that he was there and they didn't mind answering his questions about the knightmares. Unlike his twin Rayne, Kayden didn't get into trouble at all and he was pretty much allowed to roam where he wanted to so long as he didn't get in the way of someone's job._

" _Hey there, kid," one of the technicians said. "What are you doing down here? Shouldn't be upstairs opening up gifts and spending time with your family?"_

 _Kayden shrugged. Like his parents cared enough to actually get him gifts. Rayne was up there, trying to get their parents attention but Kayden had given up on that already. "I already opened my gifts," he said. It was true; he had already opened the gifts the maids and a few of the technicians had gotten him—the technicians never really got along with Rayne since she was always getting into trouble when she was in the hangar, which was why she was banned from entering the hangar._

" _And Mom and Dad are busy so I just came down here. If I'm bothering you, I can leave," Kayden added quietly._

" _Nah, we're just running preliminary checks on your sister's knightmare and everything looks like it's running smoothly," the technician said. "You can watch if you want."_

" _Okay," Kayden said and walked after the technician as he led the way to the knightmare. He made sure to stay out of the way as the technician ran a preliminary check of the systems of the_ Glasgow _before frowning to himself._

" _We're going to need to check to see whether we've fixed the problem with the power coupling connecting the Yggdrasil Drive with the main computer but we'll need someone to pilot it in order to check. Can you find Gretchen?" the technician asked._

" _She asked not to be disturbed, sir," another technician said._

" _What about Matthias and Parker?"_

" _The same, sir."_

 _The technician frowned._

 _Kayden was examining the_ Glasgow _before he turned to the technician. "Can I help?" he asked._

" _You've never piloted a knightmare before though," the technician said._

" _But I know how. You showed me how a couple of years ago," Kayden said. "Not to mention, I've been studying knightmares for a while now and I've read the manual for the_ Glasgow _a few times already. I can do this. Please?"_

 _The technician sighed but nodded. "All right," he said and handed Kayden the activation key._

 _The silvery-blue haired boy mutely turned around and headed toward the knightmare. He climbed into it and settled into the seat, inserting the activation key and, once the technician told him what it was, entered the activation code._

" _All right. Things look good on our end. Let's take it out for a test. Just move around the hangar, move your limbs and remove your rifle for now," the technician said._

" _All right," Kayden said and did as he was told, moving fluidly as if he had been piloting knightmares for years._

" _Okay, it looks like the power coupling is doing its job of transferring power from the Yggdrasil Drive to the main computer. Let's see if it'll still work on the Slash Harkens. Fire at the railing on the second floor," the technician said and Kayden did as he was told, easily lodging the Slash Harken in between the bars and then angling them to where they slipped out easily when he retracted them._

 _The technician then told Kayden that the test was over and that he could park the knightmare. Kayden did as he was told and climbed out of his sister's knightmare. He joined the technician who was smiling broadly at him._

" _You did a good job. I suspect that if you get some training, you'll be a wonderful knightmare pilot someday," he said._

" _Thank you," Kayden said._

 **. . .**

 **9**

 **Marksmanship and Knightmares**

 _May 9, 2016_

 _Basic Training Camp_

Kay would have to admit that he was looking forward to the unit that the recruits would be starting that week. They had arrived at the marksmanship unit in which they would be taught how to take apart and put together their rifles as well as how to use them but they would also be doing knightmare training. Kay had enjoyed piloting ever since he had first sat in the cockpit of his sister's knightmare back in Pendragon almost four years earlier. But first, they would be spending the first half of the week working on marksmanship; Kay wasn't sure how he would do on that part of the unit because he's never handled a rifle or any kind of gun before.

He made his way back toward his bunk after taking a quick shower and getting ready for the day. Tadashi was already up and lacing up his combat boots, having taken a shower before Kay; in the past couple of weeks, Tadashi had finally gotten out of the habit of sleeping in. Lelouch and Suzaku were up and ready to go, talking quietly to each other next to their bunk bed.

"…and Nunnally thought it would be fun and convinced me to go with her," Lelouch was saying when Kay walked within earshot. "We did have a good time, I suppose. I'm not big on art, like Clovis, but Nunnally had a good time, at least."

Suzaku nodded, though his emerald eyes were curious. "So did Clovis recognize you or something?" he asked.

A small grimace marred Lelouch's face. "Or something," he murmured.

"What happened?"

"An assassination attempt gone wrong, basically," Lelouch said. "Some girl decided to try and assassinate Clovis, somehow recognized Nunnally and I, and decided to try and take _us_ out as well." He hesitated and then said, "She managed to separate Nunnally and I and shot at Nunnally and…"

"You put yourself between the bullet and Nunnally, didn't you?" Suzaku said almost as if he was stating a fact. He didn't even sound surprised, though Kay's eyes went wide and Tadashi's jaw dropped.

"You didn't, did you?" Tadashi asked, staring at Lelouch with wide eyes.

Lelouch briefly glanced at him. "Of course I did," he said.

Tadashi seemed about to ask something else but decided against it and closed his mouth as he finished lacing up his combat boots. He stood up and stretched, running a hand through his spiky burnt-orange hair as he yawned.

Rayne jogged over to join them at that moment, muttering under her breath. Kay didn't have to hear what she was saying to know that she was within a breath of hitting someone. He blinked, wondering just who pissed his twin off.

Lila joined them as well and eyed Rayne who was clenching her hand into a fist. "Why are you so upset today?" she asked.

"That little…bitch!" Rayne hissed.

"Who're you talking about?"

"Vivienne!" Rayne growled and Kay blinked in understanding. Vivienne was a self-entitled spoiled brat who thought she could get whatever she wanted without having to work for it because her parents were noble and her arrogance was as large as her ego. Kay hadn't had to work with her personally, that was primarily because she had started basic training late; it was only because her parents managed to pay a very large sum of money that Vivienne was allowed to start training late. It sickened Kay that such a thing actually happened but knew that no system was perfect.

"For one, she would _not_ stop bragging about how she was going to be the best knightmare pilot as soon as we start on that portion of the unit as well as the best recruit at the marksmanship unit. For another, she decided that no one else would _ever_ be able to be as good as _her_ because _she_ had extra training by an actual Knight of the Round. Psh. That is pure bullshit! I called her on her shit and she said that I wouldn't know what she was talking about because I wasn't _noble_ and I was just a _kid_ _playing_ at being a soldier! And I am just as noble as she is! Besides, what does being _noble_ have anything to do with being personally trained by a Knight of the Round? After all, Marianne vi Britannia wasn't a noble and she actually took a few _non_ -nobles under her wing! I said as much and you know what she said? She said, and I quote, ' _Marianne was a gold-digging whore who seduced the Emperor just to get what she wanted!_ " Rayne ranted angrily.

Kay placed a calming hand on Rayne's shoulder and eyed Lelouch warily because the prince's face had gone incredibly dark and his amethyst eyes were burning with fury. Suzaku placed a calming hand on Lelouch's shoulder, though it didn't seem to do much to calm the prince down.

"She…said… _what_ about my mother?" Lelouch said through gritted teeth.

Rayne's arms folded across her chest as she repeated Vivienne's words before she added, "I smacked her for that, knocked her on her ass. That's what she gets for badmouthing the Flash! I should've knocked her teeth out but figured she would just go crying to her daddy. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if she _did_ go crying to her daddy after that smack. Psh, she deserved it," she said flatly.

Lelouch managed to calm down by then, the anger fading and an expressionless mask taking its place, though his eyes showed that he was still upset by Vivienne's slanderous words.

"Can't she get into trouble for saying things like that? I mean, ain't it considered slander?" Tadashi asked.

"It is," Lelouch said darkly.

Rayne huffed. "I wouldn't mind seeing that arrogant bitch get dragged off in handcuffs but I would rather be knocking that smug-ass off her high horse. C'mon, we should get to the training area," she said and led the way out of the barracks.

Though the unit that they were starting on was marksmanship, the first lesson of the day was actually an eight kilometer foot march as part of their drills. Then, their first lesson on marksmanship of the day was how to properly take care of a rifle. When Kay got his hands on the rifle, he paid close attention to the instruction that was given by the instructor, a sergeant named Cloud who, while just as strict as Greene, was nowhere near as discriminatory. He noticed that Suzaku was doing the same thing as was Lelouch and Rayne, though Rayne kept throwing glares at Vivienne. Vivienne, who was a tall, slender pale-purple haired girl, was already getting to work on disassembling and reassembling her rifle without waiting for the instructions to be finished.

They were unlucky enough to get Vivienne in their group since she was also one of those kinds of people who had a tendency of pointing out what someone else was doing wrong. Kay had to admit he was impressed that his twin hadn't broken Vivienne's jaw yet but figured that, even if she was temperamental, Rayne wasn't going to do something that would get her discharged before she even began.

"No, you're supposed to do it this way," Vivienne said in a lecturing tone that a mother would use on a small child as she corrected Tadashi. Tadashi frowned at her and then at the rifle that he was reassembling according to the instructions that he was given.

"That ain't what Sergeant Cloud said," the Honorary Britannian said.

"You're doing it the wrong way," Vivienne scolded.

"But I'm just following the instructions," Tadashi said in puzzlement.

"My way is the right way so you should listen to me. I was taught by a Knight of the Round so I know what I'm talking about," Vivienne said arrogantly.

Rayne gripped her rifle so tightly that Kay was surprised it didn't snap. He reached out a hand and placed it on Rayne's arm, giving her a warning look when she glanced at him.

Vivienne moved on to Lelouch but, before she could say anything, Lelouch gave her a disinterested look. "I don't need your help so don't bother," he said flatly and returned to working on his rifle.

"How dare you speak to me like that?" Vivienne hissed, glaring at him. "I'm the daughter of Lord and Lady Hartford!"

"You're nobility, in other words. Nevertheless, I do not need your help," Lelouch said dismissively.

Vivienne bristled, clearly not used to being brushed off. "Listen here, you little rat. I am a member of the nobility and, therefore, I should be treated with respect," she growled.

"Someone hasn't watched the news recently," Rayne murmured and Kay nodded in agreement, biting his lip and wondering if he should say something before Vivienne dug herself into a hole she couldn't get out of. As it was, Kay knew that Lelouch was still upset about Vivienne's slander toward his mother.

Lelouch paused in what he was doing and turned to gaze at Vivienne, his face expressionless and his eyes like ice. "I only treat people with respect when they have earned it, whether they are noble or not," he said. "Now, if you will excuse me, I do have my own work to complete and you are distracting me. Shouldn't you focus more on your work than on the work of another person?"

Vivienne looked furious. "You do not tell me what to do, you little rat," she snarled.

"I was not. I was simply giving you a suggestion. Whether you choose to listen or not is not my problem," Lelouch said blandly, still sounding incredibly bored and Kay had to marvel at his patience.

"Damn, he must have the patience of a saint," Tadashi whispered to Suzaku.

"There is a reason why he's practically unbeatable when it comes to chess," Suzaku murmured back. Chess was definitely a game that required patience.

"Practically?"

"He told me that only one person has been able to beat him so far."

"Oh."

Vivienne was practically shaking with rage but Lelouch calmly ignored her, his posture relaxed as he went back to his work. She took a step closer to Lelouch. "Hey, do not ignore your betters, you little rat," she hissed.

"It would be rather disrespectful to ignore those who are superior to me. Unfortunately, you do not fall into that category," Lelouch said, still in that bland, bored tone as he continued to work. Kay mused that he probably would have already finished had Vivienne stopped bothering him.

"Should we say something?" Lila asked with a frown. "She is disrupting everyone."

"I say let her keep making an ass of herself," Rayne said with a smirk that suggested she was enjoying this.

"I will be telling my father about this," Vivienne said.

"If you wish," Lelouch said, not sounding concerned at all.

Vivienne turned on her heel and stalked off, back stiff with fury.

"Will she actually tell her father?" Suzaku asked, watching her stalk off with a frown on her face. "And, I've been meaning to ask, how was it that she was able to start training so late?"

"Her parents paid for her to start training late," Kay said softly, returning his attention to his rifle. "And I am sure that she will. She sounds like that kind of person."

Suzaku's frown deepened. "That doesn't sound right," he said. "Why would they allow that?"

"It's the way the system works," Lelouch said.

"It's not right."

"Whoever said anything about it being right?"

 **. . .**

 _May 10, 2016_

 _Abandoned Building, Shinjuku Ghetto_

Kallen peered out of the broken window at the crowd of Britannian soldiers that were in the street, her lips pressed together in a frown as she watched them harass the Japanese, ordering them to tell them where the terrorists were. However, since Naoto's Resistance, which was the only resistance in the Shinjuku Ghetto, hadn't made any significant moves since it was formed, no one knew they were there. She clenched a hand into a fist, wanting nothing more than to help the Japanese out there but a calming hand stopped her from rushing headlong into the situation.

"Calm down, Kallen," Naoto murmured, also watching the scene through the window.

"But we're fighting for them. Why can't we do anything for them now?" Kallen whispered to her brother.

"For one, we're outnumbered," Naoto said. "For another, there is a time to fight and a time to observe. You have to remember that if we attack now, not only do we stand a chance at losing some of our members but all we will be doing is drawing attention to ourselves. We can't act recklessly like the Crimson Sakuras."

Kallen sighed but nodded reluctantly in agreement. Her brother had lost two of his former members to the Crimson Sakuras only for them to get killed when the Crimson Sakuras recklessly attacked a Britannian military base at Osaka and were defeated badly, losing a large number of men and practically all of their weapons and resources.

Still, while she knew that she couldn't do anything, she really wanted to.

"I'm with Kallen on this one though. We should do something," Tamaki muttered, glaring out the window at the Britannians as they continued to harass the poor Japanese people.

Kallen watched the brutality, gritting her teeth and glancing over her shoulder at Naoto who looked sorrowful. The only reason they were there anyway was because Naoto had come to receive a report from one of his spies and Kallen had insisted on going with him, since school was out for the day and she didn't have much homework. At first, he argued against it but, when Kallen pointed out that this was likely the less dangerous thing for her to do, he agreed. It wasn't long after the spy left that this incident happened.

However, Kallen found herself wondering if she should have just stayed at home. She found it difficult to just watch her own people suffer and not do anything about it. Her brother was smart and knew what he was doing but that didn't mean that she liked it.

Suddenly, one of the Britannian soldiers grabbed a tiny girl, who couldn't be older than five or six, and tore her away from her mother. The tiny girl started crying and the soldier sneered at her. "Ah, shut up, ya little brat!" he snapped and slapped the girl with his free hand.

Kallen's hand clenched tighter so that her nails dug into her palm and her eyes flashed with fury. _How dare he? She's just a little girl!_ She thought.

"Please, she didn't do anything wrong. Please, let my daughter go," the mother cried desperately, holding out a hand toward the crying, tiny child.

"Well, then, why don't you tell us about any terrorists here and we'll let her go?" the soldier retorted.

"There are no terrorists here, sir," the mother said. "We've already _told_ you that."

"Yeah, I think you're lying," the soldier said. "After all, you're Eleven and Elevens lie. I guess you don't care about your daughter or else you would tell me the truth."

"I _am_ telling you the truth!" the mother cried, her eyes wide with terror as she stared at her crying little girl.

"Yeah, right." The soldier threw the crying girl to the ground and kicked her hard, which only caused her to start crying louder in pain.

Kallen's teeth were gritting so much now that she wouldn't be surprised if they suddenly cracked.

"We'll kill her if you don't tell us the truth," the soldier said.

"We _are_ ," one of the men shouted angrily. "Why can't you see that we are telling you the truth?"

"Don't talk back to me," the soldier spat and fired his gun. The man screamed as the bullet sank into his knee and he clutched at it, attempting to stop the bleeding. He then turned the gun on the little girl and Kallen lost it.

"Kallen, wait!" Naoto hissed quietly but Kallen was already bolting down the stairs, the handgun her brother had given her for the sole reason of protecting herself in her hand. She neared the doorway and pointed her gun at the soldier, who hadn't noticed her, but hesitated.

She has never killed anyone before. She bit her lip, not sure if she could actually do it, if she could actually pull the trigger and end someone's life. Even if that person was a Britannian who was threatening a little girl for no reason, she just didn't know if she could do it.

Her moment of hesitation costed her and one of the soldiers suddenly spotted her. "You there, put the gun down and come out with your hands up," he ordered, his gun trained on her.

Kallen swore, angry with herself for hesitating. If she had just pulled the trigger, she could have gotten out of there in the confusion. Hell, if she hadn't let her temper get the better of her, she wouldn't be in this predicament to begin with.

"I said put the gun down and come out with your hands up!" the Britannian soldier shouted, firing off a warning shot that crashed into the wall of the building. The lead soldier turned toward the commotion while the Japanese gathered in front of him exchanged confused glances.

She gritted her teeth, looking for a way to get out of the predicament she had gotten herself into without getting her brother and her friends involved.

Just then, a gunshot sounded and the soldier that was threatening Kallen fell backwards from the single bullet wound in his forehead.

"Get down," Naoto hissed, grabbing Kallen's arm and jerking out of the way to avoid the barrage of bullets that came from the other soldiers. He crouched by the door, pushing Kallen behind him and holding his still smoking gun in his hand. Tamaki was crouched next to him, his own gun in his hand. Sugiyama and Ohgi had situated themselves on the other side of the door, firing at the soldiers outside.

Naoto fired his gun as well a few times. "Tamaki, get Kallen out of here," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," Tamaki said.

"But what about you?" Kallen protested since, even though the barrage seemed to have taken out a few of the enemy, her brother and her friends were still outnumbered.

"I'll be fine. Now get out of here, now," Naoto said firmly, his eyes fixed on the door.

"C'mon," Tamaki said, grabbing Kallen's arm and half-dragging the red-haired girl toward the back of the abandoned building and to the stairs of the basement that would take them to the underground tunnel they had used to reach that building. They both bolted down the stairs as the firefight started up again behind them and headed toward the secret entrance behind an empty wardrobe.

Once they were in the safety of the tunnel, Kallen pressed her back against the wall, wiping the sweat from her forehead and feeling incredibly guilty. Not only did she let her temper get the better of her but she had also run into a situation in which she was outnumbered, couldn't even take the shot, and put her brother and her friends in danger.

 _Why couldn't I take the shot?_

 _Why didn't I just listen to Naoto to begin with?_

Kallen would never forgive herself if her brother got killed because of her.

"Ya know, that was pretty brave of you," Tamaki noted, glancing at Kallen. "I mean, ya got guts, kid, though I don't think Naoto's gonna be happy with ya."

Kallen sighed, knowing full well that was an understatement.

Her brother was going to be _furious_ with her.

And, true to her thoughts, he was.

"Just what the _hell_ were you thinking?" Naoto demanded, limping over to join Kallen later that day when they got back to their base. He was bleeding from a wound in his calf but that seemed to be the only injury he had. Ohgi was nursing a wound on his arm while Sugiyama seemed to have gotten away with only a glancing blow to his side.

"I couldn't just let that little girl get killed!" Kallen protested.

"And so you decide to let yourself get killed instead?" Naoto demanded, folding his arms across his chest. "You wouldn't have been able to help her if you got yourself killed."

"So I should've just let her die?!"

"What could you have done? Even if you had killed the leader, what's to stop the rest of his men from firing on the civilians, that little girl included, and killing them? Even if they had gone after you, what's to stop them from killing the civilians first?"

"I could've distracted them or something to give the civilians time to get away," Kallen argued, even though she knew that wouldn't have happened because she hesitated.

Naoto shook his head. "You don't get it, Kallen," he said. "You attacking them would only further prove that there _are_ terrorists there and they would likely take that fact out on the civilians. After all, they have already proven that they care little if the civilians are actually telling the truth. All you would have done would prove that they _were_ lying even though they _didn't know_ it. And that would have made things even worse for them."

Kallen blanched because she _hadn't_ thought about that. She had been so focused on saving that little girl's life that she hadn't thought about just _how_ that would look on the civilians that were caught in that mess. "I…hadn't thought about it that way," she said quietly.

Naoto's eyes softened and he limped forward, placing a hand on Kallen's shoulder. "That's one thing that you have to do before you jump into a situation. You have to think things through entirely and consider the consequences of your actions," he said.

Kallen lowered her head. "I'm sorry," she said, biting her lip. Her brother and one of her friends had gotten hurt because of her and the little girl and those civilians had still been killed in that firefight.

"It's all right, Kallen. Just make sure to take this as a lesson and learn from it so you won't repeat the same mistake in the future," Naoto said and limped over to the couch when Inoue, striding toward him with a role of bandages and antiseptic, told him to sit down.

Kallen watched as Inoue worked on her brother and bit her lip. Naoto was right and she would learn from this. She would not make that same mistake in the future.

 **. . .**

 _May 11, 2016_

 _Barracks, Basic Training Camp_

Lelouch watched as his friends went through the marksmanship drills. Today, they were practicing targeting and Lelouch had to admit that both Tadashi and Lila had picked up on targeting very quickly. With some more training, both of them could make pretty good sharpshooters. He filed that way for later as he took his turn; he didn't do that bad of a job himself.

"Not bad shooting, Tadashi, Lila," Rayne was saying when the group gathered in the barracks after their marksmanship drills in which they spent the past several hours practicing firing at targets from different ranges.

"Hey, thanks, pretty lady," Tadashi said brightly.

Rayne gave him a dry look but said nothing.

"We've got knightmare training coming up next," Kay mused, looking vaguely excited. "I'm looking forward to that."

"You would," Rayne said with a smile. She glanced at Lelouch and added, "I wonder how you'll do, Lelouch. Have you ever piloted a knightmare before?"

"Not very much no but…" Lelouch began.

"Of course, you wouldn't be able to pilot, little rat," Vivienne sneered as she walked over to join them.

"Oh, wonderful, it's you," Rayne drawled, clearly not happy by the newcomer who had to rudely interrupted Lelouch.

"Was there something you needed?" Suzaku, always the polite one, asked.

"Nothing from you, _Eleven,_ " Vivienne sneered, glaring at Suzaku and then turning to Lelouch and pointing at him. "I want an apology from him."

Lelouch gave her a bored look. "Why should I apologize when I did nothing wrong?" he asked.

"You treated me with disrespect," Vivienne hissed.

"As I already told you, I only treat people with respect when they have earned it and you have done nothing to earn my respect," Lelouch said simply. "Nor are you the Emperor or a member of the Royal Family." _Even if, for the Emperor, I_ force _myself to treat him with respect no matter how much I hate him,_ he thought. As for his family, whether he treated them with respect or not depended entirely on the person.

"I am _noble_ and therefore should be treated with respect, you little rat," Vivienne snarled just as Dimitri walked into earshot.

Dimitri strode forward. "How dare you treat him with such disrespect?" he stated firmly.

"He's not noble; therefore, he doesn't need respect," Vivienne sneered.

Suzaku leaned toward Lelouch. "Are you really going to let this go on, Lelouch?" he murmured.

Lelouch cast a sidelong glance at Suzaku. "I was hoping that she would have figured it out by now. It is not like I'm hiding my identity and _everyone_ knows who I am," he said. He turned toward Dimitri and added, "Dimitri, let me handle this."

Dimitri stepped back and bowed. "Yes, Your Highness," he said.

Vivienne looked startled and then she turned to Lelouch. "Why did he call you that, little commoner rat?" she demanded.

Lelouch stood up and turned to face the lavender-haired girl. "You were right, I am not noble, though I'm not fully a commoner either," he said. "My name is Lelouch vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire."

Vivienne's jaw dropped. "Y…You're a _prince!_ " she exclaimed.

" _Everyone_ knows that. Where've you been? Hiding under a rock," Rayne sneered and, completely ignoring the glare that Vivienne threw at her, she added, "And he's not just any prince, he's the son of Marianne 'the Flash' vi Britannia, the very Imperial Consort that you were slandering a few days ago."

"Speaking of that," Lelouch added nonchalantly, "slandering an Imperial Consort, even if they are deceased, is a criminal offense. I can have you brought up on charges for such slander against my late mother if I wanted to."

Vivienne paled considerably. "Please, Your Highness, don't do that," she said quickly. "My father will be so disappointed in me if something like that happens."

"Then you should not have spoken such ill about the deceased," Lelouch said coolly, wanting nothing more than to follow through with his implied threat but he knew it would be pointless in the end.

"I'm truly sorry, Your Highness. I should never have said such things about your mother," Vivienne said quickly.

Lelouch studied her, positive that she was only apologizing because she didn't want to tarnish her family's name, but he finally nodded. "I will let it go, this time, Vivienne, but if you slander my mother's name again, I will not be so lenient," he said coolly.

"Thank you, Your Highness, thank you," Vivienne said, bowing and darting off.

"Why'd you just let her go like that?" Rayne protested.

Lelouch turned toward Rayne. "Slander is one of the hardest criminal offenses to prove in court and the testimony of only a couple eyewitnesses would not be enough," he said. While that was true, the main reason why Lelouch let Vivienne get away with it—despite seething inwardly over the callous things she said about his mother—was because he was sure the nobility would dismiss it in an instant. After all, the majority of the nobility as well as a large chunk of his own family didn't care for his mother anyway and likely wouldn't believe, or just wouldn't care, that someone was slandering her name.

He hated it but he knew that was how the corrupted system worked, especially when it came to Britannian nobility and a large chunk of the Royal Family.

"That sucks," Rayne huffed. "Well, I hope that she leaves us alone now."

 **. . .**

 _May 12, 2016_

 _Knightmare Simulation Chamber, Basic Training Camp_

Suzaku had to admit, he was a bit nervous about starting the knightmare training portion of basic training. While he knew that it was necessary in order to graduate, he just had to wonder why it was that he was forced to do it. He was an Honorary Britannian and Honorary Britannians did not become knights; therefore, they could not pilot knightmares. That was just the way the world worked.

It was almost as if they were dangling a carrot in front of a rabbit and then snatching it away before the rabbit could grab it.

Suzaku frowned at the metaphor and pushed it out of his mind as he walked alongside Lelouch and the rest of the friends he had made. Tadashi was talking excitedly about getting behind the controls of a knightmare. Kay was talking quietly about the time when he was allowed inside a knightmare while he was helping out a technician back at Pendragon. Rayne was complaining about not being able to do that while Lila and Dimitri just listened.

Suzaku turned to Lelouch, noting that he seemed deep in thought. "Lelouch, you okay?" he asked.

Lelouch blinked and glanced at him. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?" he asked.

"You were spacing out there for a moment. You don't do that often, if ever. Were you thinking about your girlfriend or something?"

"I don't have a girlfriend. I was just thinking, that's all."

"About what?"

Lelouch shrugged. "A lot of things," he said but didn't elaborate.

Suzaku studied his friend for a moment but decided to just leave him be.

Greene and Cloud would be overseeing the knightmare training portion and Greene separated the group into two groups; one would be working with him while the other would be working with Cloud. Suzaku noted that all the girls as well as all the Honorary Britannians ended up in Cloud's group. He didn't mind that since Cloud wasn't as discriminatory.

"Listen up," Cloud said, clasping his hands behind him as he stood in front of them. "You will be participating in a knightmare simulation today. Today is merely to test your skills and see what it is that you have to learn. Everyone, get in line and we will begin."

The line went by pretty quickly. Suzaku, somehow, ended up as the last one. As the line moved forward, Suzaku's thoughts drifted. He was in his fifth week of basic training, more than half way done, and, after that, he didn't know. He didn't really care as long as he got the chance to work his way through the ranks and prove himself capable. If he wanted to achieve his goal, he had to do this.

He had to prove that Honorary Britannians could be just as good as Britannians.

He made his way into the stimulation and situated himself, familiarizing himself with the controls and frowned to himself because it didn't look quite as complicated as he thought it would.

" _Your task is to take out the enemy, Recruit Kururugi. Begin,_ " Cloud ordered.

"Yes, sir," Suzaku said and scanned the screens in front of him. It was rather easy, a lot easier than he thought it would be; granted, there were some thing that he didn't know how to do but, after fiddling around with the controls, he was able to figure it out for himself. Even though it was only a simulation, it actually felt like he was moving around, firing the weapons of the knightmare, or firing its Slash Harkens.

He completed the simulation well within the allotted time and got out to find Cloud watching him faint surprise in his eyes. "Good job, recruit," Cloud said. "Not many have managed to complete the simulation with zero causalities and as quickly as you had." He gestured for Suzaku to rejoin the rest of his group.

"So how'd you do?" Tadashi asked as Suzaku came to his side.

"Well, Cloud said I did good. What about you?" Suzaku asked.

"Eh, I passed it so I'm happy," Tadashi said.

"I think I did good too," Rayne said.

Lila shrugged. "Well, we'll still be taught what we need to know in order to pilot effectively," she said.

Suzaku nodded in agreement.

 **. . .**

 _May 13, 2016_

 _Saitama Ghetto, Tokyo Settlement_

B.B. wandered through the ghetto with Tara at his side, not even paying attention to the Elevens that were milling around him. He was busy reading the most recently published article about the current situation with the terrorists in Area 11; apparently, the Britannians had discovered a terrorist cell in the Shinjuku Ghetto two days earlier, though the cell had been quick to go to ground as a result.

"They're really cracking down on terrorists, huh?" Tara said, skipping alongside B.B., having already read the article. She had been the one to bring it to him after all, and that article was the reason why he was currently walking through the Saitama Ghetto.

"Yes. No surprise really. Area 11 has always had a higher rate of terrorism than other areas," B.B. said calmly, rolling the newspaper and tucking it into his pants pocket.

"So what're we doing?" asked Tara, casting a sidelong glance at B.B.

"I have someone I need to speak to," B.B. said.

"And why am I with you?"

"I am not leaving you alone in my apartment again."

Tara pouted. "Flooded the kitchen _one time_ and you just can't let it go," she muttered.

B.B. was only irritated by that due to his OCD. However, not only had Tara flooded it but she had also decided to practice with her Geass and use it to move dishes, food, and cookbooks around. Not only did B.B. have to deal with an irritable Tara suffering from a very bad migraine—which was a consequence of using her Geass too many times in one day—but he also spent three hours cleaning and reorganizing the kitchen as a result. Since then, he absolutely refused to leave Tara alone at his apartment again. Knowing his luck, she would end up burning down the place and landing herself in the hospital at the same time.

They entered an alley that was a shortcut to his destination but stopped when a group of three Elevens lurched toward them, carrying bottles in their hands. Their eyes were red, obviously indicating that they were intoxicated, not that their slurred laughter and drunken staggering didn't already reveal that fact.

"Hey, you damn Brit! Ya gotta –hic– lot of nerve comin' near us," the first man slurred as he staggered forward. "And you got yerself a –hic– damn fine girl there. Maybe I'll take her off your hands."

Tara shrank closer to B.B. who pushed her gently behind him, stepping in front of her. "Back off," he said quietly.

The three Elevens laughed and the first man sneered. "Ya don't tell me what to do, ya damn Brit!" He threw his empty bottle at B.B. who didn't so much as flinch as the shards of glass that embedded into his neck and collarbone. The Code would get rid of the injuries soon enough. The drunk Eleven then drew out a knife and growled, "I'm gonna kill ya for what ya did to Japan."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," B.B. said unfazed as Tara stared at him in horror.

She tugged at his arm. "We should run," she whispered, reminding B.B. that she didn't know about the certain gifts he got with the Code.

"We'll be fine, Tara," B.B. said, watching as the Eleven jumped at him, preparing to stab him. B.B. grabbed his wrist swiftly and the red bird-like sigil of Geass lit up his forehead as he dug into the drunk Eleven's mind and yanked to the forefront his darkest and most shocking memory.

With a shriek, the drunk Eleven dropped the knife and fell to the ground, clutching at his head, continuing to scream even as B.B. let him go. His two companions stared in drunken horror and quickly stumbled away, clearly wanting nothing to do with B.B.

"What did you do?" Tara asked, staring at the screaming Eleven.

"Let's just say, I showed him a couple of _shocking_ images," B.B. said and walked past the screaming Eleven. "Let's go. I hope my contact won't be too upset that I'm a little late."

Tara walked after him, glancing over her shoulder at the Eleven and shivering. She then glanced back at B.B. "What about your injuries?" she asked with a frown.

"What injuries?"

"Don't be silly, the ones on your…" Tara broke off when she noticed that the cuts on B.B.'s neck were gone.

"H…How?" Tara said frowning.

"Simply put, I'm immortal," B.B. said as he turned out of the alley and headed toward an empty café.

"What?"

"Exactly as I said." B.B. entered the café and toward the backroom where his contact was located.

His contact stood up. "B.B., you're late and I see you brought company," he said.

"I simply did not want to come home to a burned down apartment," B.B. said. Tara, who was too busy trying to wrap her mind around the fact that B.B. was immortal, said nothing to that. "And I ran into a little…problem that I had to take care of. Do you have any information?"

"Yes. The Liberators have made their move into Area 11. Two cells are hidden here, though I do not know where. I do know that they were the ones who supplied the Crimson Sakuras with their weapons and that, now that another resistance cell has made an appearance in Area 11, they will likely seek to ally themselves with that cell as well," the contact said.

B.B. nodded, pressing his lips together in a thought. "Is that all?" he asked.

"Yes," the contact said.

"All right." B.B. turned and left the backroom with Tara quickly scurrying after him.

Once they were in the café itself, B.B. turned to Tara. "Tara," he said.

"What is it?" Tara asked.

"I have a mission for you…"

 **. . .**

 _May 14, 2016_

 _Mess Hall, Basic Training Camp_

Lelouch had gotten the hang of knightmare piloting quickly and noted that Suzaku and Kay had gotten the hang of piloting very quickly as well. As it was, while Lelouch was watching them take their turns in the stimulation that first day, he noticed that they were almost natural at piloting. That had been a bit of a surprise when it came to Suzaku, since he knew that the Japanese boy had never been in a knightmare before like Kay.

When he asked him how he knew what to do, Suzaku just shrugged and said, "I don't know really. I just played around with the systems until I figured out how to do everything."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. While he knew it was possible to figure the controls of a knightmare by playing around with them, he found it interesting that Suzaku turned out to be rather proficient in piloting. He filed that away for later.

They were now in the mess hall, seated at the table with their trays of food placed in front of them. Kay was talking excitedly about his time in the knightmare stimulation, his midnight eyes bright.

"Gees, Kay, take a breath," Rayne said, amused. "You're gonna end up passing out if you keep talking that fast. You're happy. We get it."

Kay trailed off. "Sorry," he said with a sheepish smile. "I'm just happy that I actually got a chance to pilot, even if it was only a simulation. I've been wanting to do something like that since I got into my sister's knightmare almost four years ago."

"Didn't Gretchen yell at you for like half an hour when she found out about that?" Rayne said.

"I was thirteen and Gretchen treated me like I was six," Kay muttered.

Rayne's lips curled into a sneer. "She _always_ treated us as if we were little kids. I can't stand her!" she said and folded her arms across her chest with a huff.

It was clear to everyone that Rayne did not have that great a relationship with her sister but no one said anything.

"So next week, we have tests for knightmare piloting and marksmanship," said Lila.

"Tests? Oh great," Tadashi groaned.

"Tell me about it," Rayne muttered.

"They agreed on something again," Kay noted in amusement.

Lelouch's lips quirked a bit but he said nothing as he ate.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: well, that was chapter 9**

 **Bakura: no duh**

 **Blaze: (sticks out tongue at Bakura) well, there are only two more chapters in this arc and then we're on to ARC II. And, as it turns out, the princess from _Oz the Reflection_ is only mentioned in ARC II and speaks a little bit but it looks like she won't make an actual appearance until either ARC III or ARC IV. However, the main character from _Lost Colors_ has, officially, entered the story in ARC III (according to prewritten chapters) anyway.**

 **Lelouch: so what's happening next?**

 **Blaze: (glances at notes) A lot so I will simply tell you this. The next chapter is titled _The Ultimate Tests_ and I'll just leave it at that. The next chapter will be up in anywhere from one week to one month, hopefully within the week but I make no promises.**

 **Bakura: yeah, 'cause you suck at keeping promises**

 **Blaze: (pouts sadly)**

 **Suzaku: you made her sad (hands Blaze a slice of chocolate cream pie) there you go**

 **Blaze: (beams happily) thank you, Suzaku! (Takes chocolate cream pie and runs)**

 **Suzaku: …why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret doing that?**

 **Lelouch: because you probably will. Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter and, as usual, reviews are much appreciated.**


	10. The Ultimate Tests

**Well, here is the new chapter and I've gotten to the second chapter of ARC III and it's...going nothing like my outline suggested it would go. (Sigh) I knew this was going to happen.**

 **Bakura: why do you even bother on doing outlines anyway, you foolish mortal?**

 **To try and avoid plot holes. It...doesn't always work.**

 **Bakura: (snorts)**

 **So, based on how the story's going right now, we won't be reaching the events of the first episode of canon until chapter 32. But that's then and this is now.**

 **Thank you to _ewerntondragon, Determined Savior, Demons Anarchy of Pride, DYnoJackal19, PiroWolfxL, harlequin320, Shadow-Shinobi666, Shimmering-Sky, FATH1, squeegywing,_ and _davycrocket100_ for reviewing the last chapter.**

 **Also, thank you to _Strife666_ and _emilee-zhang_ for reviewing the first chapter.**

 **I hope that you enjoy the second to last chapter of this arc. The next chapter will be the end of basic training and then we will be on to ARC II, which I shall give you the name of in the next chapter. As always, reviews are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **Update Note 10/21/2016: Other than fixing the mistake I made in terms of using the wrong (VERY wrong at that)word, I also took out the last two sentences in the scene with Naoto because it was too sudden a change of mind and not, exactly, what I had intended.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _August 17, 2010_

 _Akishima, Japan_

 _Peering around the corner, Suzaku watched as Britannian soldiers charged past, looking around for any survivors. Knightmares also patrolled the area and debris and bloodstained bodies covered the street. The Britannians didn't seem to care and simply kept moving forward, their eyes searching for survivors._

 _Suzaku bit his lip as he waited until they were out of sight. Once he was sure they were out of earshot, he turned and crept back the way he had come. "They're gone," he whispered._

 _Lelouch's black-headed form climbed out of the pile of garbage bags the three of them had taken refuge in before turning and gently pulling Nunnally free. Nunnally shivered but Lelouch quietly reassured her that everything was all right._

 _He looked tired, Suzaku noted. His amethyst eyes were bright with exhaustion and there were bags beneath his eyes. He hadn't been getting much sleep but then neither had Suzaku. Neither of them had been able to sleep since the airstrike leveled the Kururugi Shrine and they were forced to find a place to hide from the attacking Britannians and the vengeful Japanese that were trying to fight back._

 _"Here, let me take Nunnally," Suzaku suggested when he saw Lelouch tiredly trying to lift Nunnally onto his back. While he was just as tired, Suzaku was also more physically capable, and had more stamina, than Lelouch._

 _"I'm fine. I can carry her," Lelouch insisted stubbornly._

 _Suzaku sighed but nodded. "If you get tired, let me know," he said quietly and slowly led the way out of the alley. The three children were covered in dirt, blood, and who knew what else, they were also hungry and thirsty but they kept moving forward, knowing that it wasn't safe there._

 _They walked in silence, both of them sickened at the number of bodies that they were forced to navigate around. The staggering amount of debris made it treacherous going and Lelouch's exhaustion coupled with him bearing Nunnally's weight was making them move even slower._

 _"Big Brother? You seem tired," Nunnally said quietly._

 _"I'm fine, Nunnally," Lelouch assured the seven-year-old girl on his back, stumbling but managing to regain his footing. He sounded out of breath._

 _"You don't sound fine," Nunnally said with a concerned frown._

 _"Lelouch, let me carry her for a little while, just until you get your breath back," Suzaku offered again, worriedly studying his friend._

 _Lelouch opened his mouth and Suzaku could tell that he was about to protest._

 _"Big brother, please, listen to Suzaku. Don't you trust him?" Nunnally asked innocently._

 _Lelouch was silent for a moment and then he gently handed Nunnally over to Suzaku. That single act answered Nunnally's question and Suzaku, determined not to betray that trust, gently took Nunnally into his arms. He shifted her onto his back, feeling her wrap her arms around his neck to keep steady, and turned to Lelouch._

 _"Ready?" he asked._

 _Lelouch nodded and the two headed out again._

 _"This country…it used to be beautiful," Lelouch murmured quietly later as they neared the edge of the ruined city of Akishima. Though there was still debris and bodies at this end of the city, it wasn't nearly as bad as it was at the city's heart. Both of them were able to breathe a bit easier, though the scent of garbage and blood still permeated the area._

 _"Yeah," Suzaku agreed. "It was."_

 _"Japan had become more a home for me and Nunnally than Pendragon ever was and now Britannia has destroyed it," the exiled prince murmured under his breath, though Suzaku heard him. Realizing he wasn't supposed to hear that, he said nothing._

 **. . .**

 **10**

 **The Ultimate Tests**

 _May 16, 2016_

 _Barracks, Basic Training Camp_

It was four in the morning when Suzaku was jolted out of his sleep, the memory of his time with Lelouch and Nunnally traversing the ruined land of Japan during the invasion surged through his mind. He blinked, trying to push them aside. It wasn't as if this was the first time that Suzaku has had nightmares about what happened during the invasion but his nightmares were usually about how the war ended with him murdering his father. He had stopped thinking about what happened during the invasion within the first year after the end of the war.

However, since he had been reunited with Lelouch, the memories of the months they had spent together at the Kururugi Shrine had come back.

He wasn't entirely sure what caused him to start thinking about the invasion and what he, Lelouch, and Nunnally had to go through just to stay alive though. He wondered if it was because of the marksmanship and knightmare stimulation drills that they had been doing for the past week but decided that it didn't matter.

It wasn't as if Suzaku wasn't used to nightmares.

And it wasn't as if this was the first time that Suzaku had been woken up by them. There was a reason why he was usually among the first to be awake and ready for training after all.

Yawning and deciding that it would be pointless to go back to sleep—he had to wake up in an hour anyway—Suzaku climbed off his bunk, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Suzaku?" A soft voice said and Suzaku turned to find Lelouch sitting up on his bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Suzaku asked.

Lelouch yawned and shook his head. "No, I was awake," he said as he swung his feet off his bed and stood up, stretching. "Couldn't sleep. What about you?"

"The same," Suzaku said. "Well, we may as well get ready since we're up anyway."

Lelouch nodded and walked over to his footlocker. Suzaku followed suit and gathered his stuff together before making his way over to the bathroom to take a quick shower and get ready. When he got back to his bunk with Lelouch, he noticed that Kay was stirring while Tadashi was still fast asleep.

"Morning, Kay," Suzaku said as Kay sat up, his silvery-blue hair sticking in all directions as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. The small boy blinked sleepily at Suzaku and yawned.

"Morning," he mumbled as he dragged himself out of bed and wandered over to his footlocker.

Suzaku sat down on Lelouch's bunk and began lacing up his boots. Both he and Lelouch finished getting ready as Kay came back and Tadashi woke up. Yawning, the burnt-orange haired boy climbed down from his bunk, nearly tripping on the last rung, and stumbled toward his footlocker without a word.

While Tadashi was getting ready, Kay was tidying his area up, accidentally knocking a letter to the ground. Suzaku reached out and picked it up, noting that the return address was from Pendragon and that it hadn't been open yet. "You dropped this," he said, holding out the letter to Kay.

He glanced at it and took it. "Thanks," he said softly, tucking the letter under his pillow and moving over to his footlocker to assure that it was in order.

Rayne walked over to join the group at that moment with Lila behind her. "Morning," she said, flopping down on Kay's bed, much to her twin's irritation.

"Good morning, Rayne," Suzaku replied.

"I'm so looking forward to finally getting the chance to do something more challenging with guns today," Rayne said.

"Same here," Lila said with a small smile. She and Tadashi both had the makings of an excellent sharpshooter, something that Lelouch had pointed out during their drills the week before, and they both felt comfortable handling guns and rifles.

Tadashi joined them, throwing his sleep clothes into his footlocker and starting to organize them.

When it was about five minutes before breakfast was due to begin, Dimitri joined them but, to Rayne's irritation, Vivienne was right behind him.

"Good morning, Your Highness," Vivienne greeted Lelouch brightly, making Rayne roll her eyes and mutter something that Suzaku couldn't catch.

"We should head out if we don't want to be late for breakfast," Kay suggested, glancing at his sister.

Vivienne sniffed. "You don't order us around," she sneered.

"I see your attitude has gotten so much better since the last time we were fortunate enough to be graced with your presence," Rayne drawled, standing up. "He wasn't ordering us to do anything. He was simply pointing out something."

"Did I say you could speak to me? I thought not," Vivienne sneered.

Lila rolled her eyes. "This is not high school, Vivienne. Stop acting like a spoiled little princess and grow up," she said and walked out of the barracks.

"Who are you calling spoiled?" Vivienne demanded but Lila was already gone.

Rayne sighed. "It's too early to be dealing with this crap. I'll be in the mess hall," she said and followed Lila's example, leaving the guys alone with Vivienne.

"Wait for me," Tadashi called and darted out of the barracks behind the two girls. Mutely, Dimitri followed suit.

"Hmph, good riddance, now we only have one pathetic Eleven to deal with," Vivienne sneered with a glare at Suzaku. "Why don't you follow your fellow Eleven's example and leave? We don't need you here."

Suzaku blinked, a bit surprised by the hostility in Vivienne's tone. Sure, he had been treated with hostility at first but that had gradually faded when everyone noticed the friendship between him and Lelouch. While Suzaku didn't want to do anything that could reflect badly on his friend, Lelouch had no such qualms and refused to let Suzaku be harassed by the Britannians at the camp. However, it seemed Vivienne didn't know that, or just didn't care.

"Vivienne, I suggest you leave," Lelouch said coolly.

Vivienne stared at Lelouch. "You're asking _me_ to leave?" she demanded.

"Yes. Like Lila said, this is not the time nor the place to act like a spoiled brat," Lelouch said flatly and, deciding to leave himself instead, headed toward the entrance to the barracks and Kay followed him.

Suzaku glanced at Vivienne, about to apologize on Lelouch's behalf, as that was rather rude of him, but she just glared at him, brushed past him and strode off. He blinked but decided against worrying about Vivienne's attitude and left the barracks as well.

 **. . .**

 _Training Field, Basic Training Camp_

The tasks that the recruits were given as soon as they reached the training field were challenging. One was a sniper challenge in which one had to hit a moving target from a certain height; both Lila and Tadashi excelled at that challenge by hitting the target within their first couple of tries. Rayne got so impatient that she ended up shooting everything _but_ the target but eventually got it. Though she did look about ready to slam her rifle into Vivienne's gut when the pale-purple haired girl started insulting her.

Thankfully, Cloud, who was overseeing the training, got on Vivienne's case for that, giving her a stern reprimand in front of everyone and then ordering her to run twenty laps around the field.

"Not everyone has what it takes to be a sniper. This is not a slight of your ability but rather a fact," Cloud said, clasping his hands behind him. "Your Marksmanship Qualification will take place on Saturday along with your Knightmare Qualification. These are the two significant tests that you must pass for this phase of your training. Should you pass both, you will head on to the final phase of your training. However, if you fail then you will be transferred to another training camp in which you will learn from your mistakes and try again. Dismissed!"

"Yes, sir," the recruits declared, saluting and headed toward the cool-off area to get something to drink and relax. They still had drills to complete but that wouldn't start for another fifteen minutes.

"I am so going to pass those tests," Vivienne said smugly.

"So what?" Rayne muttered. "I swear if I get placed at the same post as her after I graduate, I'm going to request a transfer immediately."

"I can't help but agree with you," Lila said with a nod and a disapproving look at the bragging Vivienne who was now claiming that she was sure she was going to be placed with the 11th Division under General Andon.

"No freaking duh," Rayne said scornfully. "Unless she gets transferred out of Area 11, which I really hope happens, she's going to be under General Andon. He's the Commander-in-Chief of Area 11's military forces after all."

 _So Area 11's military forces are under the command of General Andon. Hmm._ "Who is General Andon?" Lelouch asked.

"You don't know who General Andon is?" Rayne echoed.

"I never really paid much attention to the affairs of the military before I rejoined the Royal Family," Lelouch said with a shrug.

"He's a legend," Rayne said. "Not only had he participated in the wars that led to the creation of several areas but he actually won the wars that created Areas 4 and 6."

"He's also the reason why the terrorist threat here in Area 11, while still a growing problem, has not gone completely out of control," Kay added.

"He was also the Knight of Honor for Imperial Consort Flora mel Britannia until she was killed," Dimitri said, sipping at his water.

"I see," Lelouch said, sipping at his own water and musing on the information that he had been given. General Andon sounded like a powerful ally for Britannia and Lelouch recalled that Andon was listed on the list of Schneizel's allies. He kept that in mind as Cloud called for them to begin the drills.

 **. . .**

 _May 17, 2016_

 _Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy_

Nina glanced over her shoulder as Nunnally wheeled her way to her side and paused in her typing. "Hello Nunnally," she greeted her softly.

"Hi Nina," Nunnally said with a bright smile and Nina noticed that she was holding an origami crane in her hands that was made out of pink paper. While Nina was terrified of Elevens, she had to admit that some of the types of art that they had created were interesting and easy to do. Origami was the easiest, though Nina hadn't gotten the hang of it, not like Nunnally anyway.

"I made this one for you," Nunnally said, holding out the origami crane. "I was gonna give you one when I first started making them but I kinda forgot." She smiled sheepishly.

"I…It's all right," Nina said, taking the origami crane and placing it next to her computer.

"So what are you doing?" Nunnally asked as Nina turned her attention to her computer screen.

"Just researching the isotopes of Uranium," Nina said. "But what brings you here?"

"I just wanted someone to talk to," Nunnally said. "Sayoko had to go and get some groceries and Milly and the others are busy."

Nina eyed her research but decided that she could spare some time for the kind-hearted princess. She saved her research and put her computer on sleep mode before turning to Nunnally, quietly suggesting that they go and get a snack. She was starting to get hungry anyway and it would give them both something to do.

"Okay. Let's go back to my apartment. We have ice cream," Nunnally suggested.

"O…Okay," Nina said softly. Ice cream did sound good.

She and Nunnally left the meeting room and headed toward the East Wing of the clubhouse where Nunnally has been living with her brother for the past six years.

They entered the apartment and Nunnally wheeled herself into the kitchen, directing Nina to the fridge. Nina pulled out a container of chocolate ice cream and placed it on the table before fetching two bowls, two spoons, and the ice cream scooper. "How much can you have?" Nina asked quietly, knowing that either Lelouch or Sayoko was usually the one who served Nunnally.

"Just two scoops is fine," Nunnally said and Nina scooped out two spoonfuls. She then served herself some and took a seat by Nunnally, placing the princess's spoon in her hand and gently directing her to the bowl.

"So, um, what do you think you're going to go as to Milly's fairy-tale themed ball next week?" Nina asked since Milly had decided to make that ball a costume ball, despite it not being Halloween for several more months.

"I think I'm just gonna go as myself. I'm a princess so it'd work since there're princesses in fairy tales," Nunnally said, swallowing another bite of ice cream. "What about you?"

"Well, um, Milly decided that she, me, Kallen, and Shirley are gonna be fairy godmothers and Rivalz is gonna go as a prince," Nina said. She didn't really care for the costume that the girls would be wearing that Milly had already created but, thankfully, they weren't that bad. At least they weren't as bad as the maid costumes Milly had the girls, except Nunnally, wearing during the bake sale.

It was a good thing Nina had spent most of her time sitting down because she didn't know how she would take getting looked at by all those guys that walked past. She may be terrified of Elevens but she wasn't very comfortable around guys; Rivalz and Lelouch were the only exceptions.

Nunnally giggled. "I bet you Milly would've had Big Brother go as a prince even if our identities _hadn't_ been revealed," she said.

"Probably," Nina said and went back to eating her ice cream.

The door opened and Nina glanced up as Sayoko, carrying two paper bags filled with groceries, kicked the door closed behind her. Nina shivered but said nothing; she may be terrified of Elevens, and Sayoko was no exception, but the maid hadn't done anything and took care of Nunnally so Nina was able to tolerate her, though she still didn't feel all that comfortable being in her presence for too long.

"Sayoko?" Nunnally said.

"I'm here, Mistress Nunnally," Sayoko said, placing the paper bags on the table. "How was your day?"

"It was good. I got all my homework done and then invited Nina to come and have some ice cream with me. I hope that's okay," Nunnally said.

"That's fine, Mistress. Just remember not to have too much ice cream or you'll ruin your appetite," Sayoko said as she dug into the paper bag and pulled out the groceries she bought.

"I know. Nina made sure to only give me the same amount that Big Brother usually gives me," Nunnally said and swallowed another bite of ice cream.

"Um, I think I'd best get going," Nina said quietly, finishing her ice cream and getting to her feet.

"You're leaving already?" Nunnally sounded disappointed but then she brightened. "Maybe we can have a sleepover this weekend. Milly, Shirley, and Kallen can come too!"

Nina hesitated. "I…guess I can ask my parents," she said softly.

"Great!" Nunnally said with a big smile.

Nina couldn't help but smile. Nunnally's smiles were contagious. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to attend a sleepover, especially not one with Milly, but that was primarily because she wasn't very social. She had a feeling Milly would convince her to attend, if her parents agreed, simply because Milly had been trying to help Nina become more social since she started high school.

But it did sound like it'd be fun to just hang out with the girls so Nina decided to, at least, consider going.

 **. . .**

 _May 18, 2016_

 _Training Field, Basic Training Camp_

"Wait, we're going to be training in _actual knightmares?_ " Rayne said in shock and Lelouch had to admit he was a bit surprised as well. At the very least, it explained why Sergeant Cloud, who was in charge of this portion of the unit, only had Britannians join him on the training field while the Honorary Britannians were being escorted to the simulation chamber. After all, Honorary Britannians would never be able to pilot an actual knightmare since they would never be made into knights.

There wasn't a law against it but it was Britannian policy and most Britannians adhered to the policy.

All Lelouch could think to that was that it was unfair, especially when he thought about how well Suzaku had done on the simulation to the point that he had actually been _complimented_ by Sergeant Cloud. Granted, there was no guarantee that someone who did well on the simulation would do just as well as in real life but still.

"It looks like it," Lila said.

In front of the group of Britannian recruits was a line of the fifth-generation knightmare frames that was the primary knightmare used by the military. It was called the Sutherland. It was purple and black and stood at over four meters tall. It was equipped with an assault rifle as well as a jousting lance and had Slash Harkens mounted on its chest as well as the factsphere mounted on its forehead.

Their task was simple. Since Sutherlands were geared more toward combat against other knightmares, they would be paired and would fight in their knightmares. They were simply supposed to force their opponent to eject through any means.

Lelouch was paired up with Lila. Kay was with Dimitri. Rayne was with Vivienne.

 _That isn't going to end well,_ Lelouch thought, noting that Rayne was glaring at Vivienne.

Lila glanced at Lelouch. "Well, good luck, Lelouch," she said.

"You too," Lelouch replied.

Once Lelouch got into the cockpit of the Sutherland that he would be piloting, he mused that it did feel similar to the simulation, and to his mother's _Ganymede._ It was more advanced than the _Ganymede_ and the Glasgows, as it was an upgraded version of the Glasgow, though. It didn't take long for him to figure out how to do everything; the simulation training the week before had certainly helped as well.

" _Recruit vi Britannia! Recruit Moore! You are free to begin_ ," Cloud's voice called over the frequency.

"Yes, sir," Lelouch said.

" _Yes, sir,_ " Lila stated and the two of them launched themselves at each other. Lelouch was quick to take advantage of the landspinners and swiftly glided out of the way to avoid a thrust from Lila's jousting lance. He then fired his rifle at Lila, forcing her to dodge but she retaliated by firing a Slash Harken at him. He used his jousting lance to knock the Slash Harken aside before firing his own back, wrapping it around Lila's knightmare's arm and yanked. Lila was thrown off her feet and, when she got back, she was unable to dodge the thrust from Lelouch's jousting lance. A moment later, her ejection pod was flying away from the knightmare as Lelouch's lance crashed into her knightmare's chest, throwing it off its feet again.

 _Hmm, using a knightmare in a simulation and in real life are different and yet very similar too,_ Lelouch mused as he ejected and climbed out of his knightmare once he got it clear of the training field. He walked over to join Lila, whose was nursing her arm.

"Are you okay?" he asked, since he hadn't meant to hurt her.

"I'm fine. This wasn't from the fight. I kinda tripped getting out of the pod and landed wrong," Lila said with a grimace. "It's fine though. Looks like Kay's fight is about to begin."

Lelouch turned to watch Kay and Dimitri go at it. As he watched the fight, he had to admit he was impressed. Kay was just as swift in a knightmare as he was on the ground. Dimitri was a good pilot and fighter but it was clear, in this fight, that Kay was an Ace. There was no denying that he was; he was able to fend off all of Dimitri's attacks and was able to launch his own whenever he saw an opening, successfully keeping Dimitri on his toes and forcing him to use everything he had against Kay. And yet Kay was still able to counter it.

As Lelouch was expecting, Kay was able to make Dimitri eject after fighting for a good fifteen minutes.

Five minutes later and Kay and Dimitri were joining Lelouch and Lila on the sideline to watch the next fight. Lelouch glanced at Kay and inclined his head. "Good job, Kay," he said.

"Thank you, Lelouch," Kay said.

"You did well too, Dimitri," Lelouch added.

"Thank you, Your Highness, but knightmare piloting really isn't my strong suit. I prefer navigating and working behind the scenes to fighting on the frontlines," Dimitri said.

Rayne and Vivienne's fight came next and, just as Lelouch had expected, it did not go well. Rayne had Vivienne ejecting in under three minutes after a swift and decisive attack that cut through the defense Vivienne had set up. That, in itself, wasn't too bad; it was Vivienne's response to being forced to eject as swiftly as she had that caused things to go downhill.

"You little...! I should have won that fight," Vivienne shouted.

"You aren't as great as you think you are and that's why you lost," Rayne shouted back.

"I am better than everyone here."

"And yet I got you to eject in less than three minutes."

"You cheated!"

"Are you seriously that _stupid_? How the hell can someone _cheat_ in a knightmare fight? And, newsflash, this _wasn't_ even a test!"

The two of them continued to argue while Cloud tried to order them to stop.

"Rayne's going to get herself into trouble," Kay murmured. "At least they haven't come to…"

 _Smack!_

"…never mind," Kay said with a sweatdrop, staring at Vivienne who was on the ground, clutching at her red cheek marking where a furious Rayne had just smacked her.

"You little bitch!" Vivienne shrieked as she scrambled to her feet.

"That's enough," Cloud snapped angrily, stepping in between the two furious girls. "You two, with me, now!"

Vivienne and Rayne reluctantly saluted. "Yes, sir," they said and followed Cloud as he led the way away, dismissing the rest of the recruits.

 **. . .**

 _Mess Hall, Basic Training Camp_

"So Rayne and Vivienne got into a knightmare fight, per Sergeant Cloud's orders, but when Rayne forced Vivienne to eject, Vivienne got pissed and started accusing Rayne of cheating. They started arguing and then Rayne slapped Vivienne? That about sum it up?" Tadashi asked.

"Yes," Lila said.

Suzaku and Tadashi had joined the rest of the group after the training had ended for lunch and, when he noticed that Rayne wasn't with the rest of their friends, Tadashi had asked where she was.

"Damn, ain't she gonna get in trouble for that though?" Tadashi asked. "I mean, this ain't school or nothing like that so she can't just get detention."

"Since it wasn't that serious, she'll probably just get a reprimand," Kay said.

As if on cue, Rayne made her way into the mess hall with Vivienne right behind her. They were both steadfastly ignoring each other and separated as soon as they were in the hall, Vivienne going over to sit by Erin while Rayne made her way over to join Suzaku and the rest of the group.

"What happened?" Lila asked.

"He just reprimanded us and told us that if we stepped out of line again, we'd be discharged," Rayne said, sitting down beside Lila. "Though I gotta say it felt good to slap that bitch again."

"It's a good thing Sergeant Cloud never found out about the first incident," Lila said.

"I'm surprised Vivienne didn't tell him about that," Tadashi admitted.

"She did but, since there was no proof, Cloud didn't do anything about it," Rayne said with a shrug. "Cloud has also decided that we aren't going to be paired together again after that."

"Probably a good thing, considering next time you'll probably knock her teeth out and then get kicked out," Kay said.

Rayne opened her mouth to protest, thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. "Eh, you're probably right. But Cloud warned me that I have to start acting more professional and that this was serious and that I should take it seriously. I think I know who you're taking lessons from when you make your 'you must be professional' speeches, Lila," she said.

"Perhaps you should take what he says to heart because if you do something like that again, you will get kicked out," Lila said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know."

 **. . .**

 _May 19, 2016_

 _Kozuki Resistance Base, Shinjuku Ghetto_

Naoto studied the girl standing in front of him with a frown on his face. She looked to be around Kallen's age with shoulder-length aqua-colored hair and dark eyes. It was only her accent that suggested she wasn't from Japan, though she did speak the language, as well as Britannian, very well. She was dressed entirely in black, complete with black gloves on her hands and a black headband around her forehead.

"So you're name's Tara and you want to join my resistance," he said.

"Yup," Tara said with a cheery smile.

"Why?"

"Because you're fighting to free Japan, of course, and I wanna help do that," Tara said.

"Why my resistance though? Why not the Yamato Alliance or the Japan Liberation Front?"

"I prefer smaller groups," Tara said.

"How'd ya even hear about us anyway?" Tamaki asked with a frown, narrowing his eyes at the girl.

"The newspaper, of course," Tara said with a shrug. "Everyone knows that a resistance has formed in the Shinjuku Ghetto and I decided that, since it was small and new, it would be perfect for me to join. Oh and don't worry about anyone finding ya. No one saw me. I made sure of that."

Naoto narrowed his eyes. He didn't like this. Not only was this girl the same age as Kallen, and thus shouldn't be fighting against Britannia like this, but, for some odd reason, Naoto just felt that something was _wrong_ about this girl. It was her eyes, he knew. Her eyes were cold like ice and emotionless, making her cheeriness feel fake. Naoto's instincts were telling him not to trust this girl and he had learned, a long time ago, to trust his instincts.

"We aren't exactly recruiting right now," he said.

"I can help though," Tara insisted. "I'm good at sneaking into places and I don't look Japanese so I can actually go into the settlement itself and no one will say a thing since I kinda look Britannian."

"You know, even with her accent, she does kinda look Britannian," Yoshida said.

"How old are you?" Naoto asked.

"Sixteen but that doesn't matter. I can still help. Please give me a chance," Tara pleaded. "I have nowhere else to go and I wanna _do_ something."

In a way, she reminded Naoto of his sister, except that his sister was much more fiery tempered; however, he didn't know Tara well enough to truly be able to judge her character. Finally, he turned to his second. "What do you say, Ohgi?" he asked.

"I don't like the idea of having a teenager join our ranks," Ohgi admitted. "What we do is dangerous and I don't want a kid getting caught up in this."

"I'm not a kid!" Tara protested.

"In our eyes, ya are," Tamaki retorted. "I gotta agree with Ohgi. It just don't feel right having a kid in our ranks."

"I have to agree," Naoto said with a nod and turned back to Tara. "Sorry, kid, but we can't let you join."

"You have to," Tara retorted, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at them stubbornly.

"Why do you say that?"

"'Cause I know where your base is. I may not like Britannia but I can _easily_ tell them where you are and then go track down another resistance cell to join," Tara said smugly.

"You'd _blackmail_ us just to get us to allow ya to join?" Tamaki exclaimed.

"If it works," Tara said.

Naoto gritted his teeth. He could always move his headquarters after Tara left but if Tara was able to find his current headquarters, when no one outside of his resistance knew where it was—which made him wonder just _how_ she had found them—then it was likely she would be able to find them again. He didn't like this, not when his instincts were yelling at him that this wasn't a good idea but what choice did he have?

"Fine," he said finally. "So long as you follow my orders, or Ohgi's orders, and do not argue with either of us, you can stay."

Tara beamed brightly. "Great," she said happily. "Where can I stay?"

"Inoue, show her to your room," Naoto said, rubbing his head.

Inoue, who was frowning at Tara, nodded. "This way," she said to Tara and led her away.

"This isn't a good idea," Ohgi said.

"I know but what choice do I have? She was able to find us, even though no one outside of our cell knows where we are, and if she could do that then what's to stop her from tracking us down if we leave?"

"You got a point," Ohgi muttered and shook his head. "I know one thing, Kallen is not going to like this."

"Most likely not," Naoto agreed.

True to their words, Kallen was not happy. She had come to the base later that day, rather than the apartment, though that was where she usually went when Naoto wasn't working, and, upon noticing Tara, had been quick to question what she was doing there. When Tara, happily, told her that she was the resistance's newest member, Naoto was sure that everyone heard Kallen's furious " _what?!_ " all the way in the Tokyo Settlement.

She stalked over to Naoto. "I wanna talk to you, alone," she said.

Naoto nodded and got to his feet, leading the way to a side room. The base, really just an abandoned apartment building on the edge of the Shinjuku Ghetto, was small and didn't have very many rooms. Inoue and Tara would be sharing one, as the only girls that were part of the resistance, while the rest of the guys just slept wherever they could find room whenever they stayed the night. Most of the time, they were at their own homes.

Once they were in the side room, Kallen closed the door and turned to Naoto, folding her arms across her chest. "What's that about?" she asked. "That girl doesn't look a day over sixteen and yet you allowed her to join but you won't let _me_ join? I'm your sister!"

"For one, I just want to keep you safe, Kallen. And, for another, she blackmailed us," Naoto said honestly and explained the same reasoning he had given Ohgi earlier.

Kallen's hand clenched. "How dare she?" she muttered and then sighed. "I don't like this but I guess I don't really have a say, do I?"

" _I_ didn't even have a say," Naoto said. "Don't worry, Kallen. I'm having Ohgi and Sugiyama keep an eye on her and make sure that she keeps to her side of the deal. And we won't be sharing anything truly important with her. I don't trust her yet."

"She hasn't done anything to _earn_ your trust and blackmailing you doesn't help with that at all," Kallen mused.

"Exactly," Naoto said.

"What about me? Can I join officially now?" Kallen asked.

"Kallen, it would be best if you stayed at Ashford Academy," Naoto said.

Kallen looked irritated but Naoto, thinking for a minute, decided on giving her a task that would keep her occupied and give her a reason for staying where it was safe. "I have a task for you that you can only accomplish if you stay at Ashford Academy," he said.

"What kind of task?" Kallen asked.

"You said that Prince Lelouch was joining the military but Princess Nunnally was staying at Ashford Academy, right?"

Kallen nodded.

"Then keep an eye on her and on the prince when he visits. Gather more information about them. They may not be a threat now but that could change in the future. Plus, by keeping an eye on Princess Nunnally, you may be able to find information on Prince Clovis as well, since you did say that he visits the princess every now and then," Naoto said, recalling everything that Kallen had told him in the past couple of weeks.

Kallen pressed her lips together but finally nodded. "All right, fine," she said. "I'll go back and see what else I can find out. Maybe during that sleepover this weekend that the princess invited me too. But I don't think I'm gonna like that Tara girl."

 **. . .**

 _May 20, 2016_

 _East Wing Apartment, Student Council Clubhouse_

Kallen, carrying a duffel bag filled with a change of clothes and some other things she would need for the sleepover as well as a sleeping bag, walked into the apartment. She gazed around, noticing that it did have a rather homey feeling to it.

"Hey, Kallen, I didn't think ya'd join us," Milly said brightly as Kallen made her way into the living room where Milly, Shirley, Nina, and Nunnally were already gathered. All of them were already dressed in their pajamas and Milly, Nina, and Shirley had their sleeping bags spread out throughout the room. Milly's pajamas consisted of a blue tank top and shorts. Shirley's was a knee-length green nightgown. Nina's was a dark-blue shirt and sweats. Nunnally's was a pale-pink nightgown that went to her calves. Sayoko was also there, gently helping Nunnally out of her wheelchair and onto the pull-out couch.

"Well, my doctor fell sick so we had to reschedule the appointment and I decided that I might as well," Kallen said, keeping her voice meek as she put the duffel bag and the sleeping bag down. She crouched by the duffel bag and began digging around for her pajamas.

"Awesome," Milly said with a grin. "I already got some things planned! We're gonna have so much fun."

"Just don't stay up too late, Mistress Nunnally," Sayoko said.

"I won't, Sayoko, thank you," Nunnally said.

"I will be back with some snacks," Sayoko said and disappeared into the kitchen.

"The bathroom's that way, second door on your right," Milly said, pointing.

Kallen nodded and, once she found her pajamas, headed for the bathroom. She was trying to find information on Princess Nunnally and Prince Lelouch for her brother but she had to wonder just what it was her brother wanted to know, other than whether the prince and princess would be a threat or not. Kallen was sure that they would be, eventually, especially Lelouch since he was going to be part of the military. However, she knew little if nothing else about him.

She changed into a red tank-top and black shorts and left the bathroom, rejoining her friends in the living room. She rolled out her sleeping bag, placing it between Shirley's and Nina's and sat down cross-legged on it.

"Okay," Milly said, clapping her hands together. "Why don't we start this sleepover off with a nice game of Truth or Dare?"

Shirley groaned while Nina seemed to shy away from the very thought.

Kallen was about to ask why they looked so worried, until she saw the _look_ on Milly's face, then she began to worry herself.

"That sounds like fun," Nunnally said.

"Well, since you're our host, what you says goes. Let's play Truth or Dare," Milly said brightly. "Okay, Nunnally, you get to start."

"Um, okay, um,"—Nunnally seemed to think about it for a moment—"Okay, Shirley, Truth or Dare?"

"Um…truth," Shirley said.

Nunnally giggled. "When did you fall in love with my brother?" she asked.

Milly grinned broadly. "Oh, this I gotta know," she said, leaning closer while Shirley went red.

"Ah, I'm not…I mean…I just…I…uh…" she stammered out.

Nunnally giggled again. "You gotta tell the truth, Shirley," she said.

Shirley went even redder and she looked down and mumbled something under her breath.

"We didn't hear that," Milly said in a singsong voice.

"W…Well, I…I'm not really sure w…when, honestly. But, I guess I started to like him when I saw him help that old couple out of a jam by talking the man who hit their car out of pressing charges, since he was clearly at fault. He didn't do it to brag about it, he just did it with that same bored expression of his but he still helped that old couple out. I just…I wanted to get to know him better, find out…what he was really like and…what goes on in his head," Shirley said softly, cheeks red.

"Aww," Milly gushed.

Shirley flushed. "Ah, is it my turn now?" she asked.

Milly nodded.

"Okay, um, Nina, truth or dare?" Shirley asked.

Nina looked up and shifted shyly. "Um, truth," she said.

Shirley titled her head to the side thoughtfully. "Okay, I've got one. What is your second greatest fear?" she said. Everyone knew that Nina's first greatest fear was the Japanese, something that Kallen still frowned at, wondering just why Nina was terrified of the Japanese.

"Snakes," Nina said with a shiver.

"Ah, I can understand that. I don't like 'em myself," Shirley admitted.

"I like 'em," Kallen said and both Shirley and Nina looked at her like she was crazy. "What?"

"Okay, Nina, your turn," Shirley said, turning her gaze to Nina.

"Oh, um, okay, um, Milly, truth or dare?" Nina asked quietly.

Milly thought about it for a moment and then beamed. "Dare," she stated.

"Oh, um, okay then…I, uh, I dare you to, um, hug the next person to walk into this room," Nina said softly.

"Okay," Milly said with a shrug.

Sayoko walked into the room, carrying a tray of cookies and juice that she placed on the coffee table. Milly stood up, walked over to the maid and hugged her.

"Um, thank you, Mistress Milly," Sayoko said confused.

"You're welcome," Milly said brightly and returned to her seat, not even bothering on telling the maid that it had been a dare. "Kallen, truth or dare?"

Kallen eyed Milly warily. If she chose truth, it would most likely be an extremely embarrassing secret that she would have to reveal—Milly was the kind of person who would do that—but if she chose dare, she would probably have to _do_ something that was even more embarrassing.

"Truth," she said.

Milly pouted. "Ah, man, I was hoping you'd pick dare. All right." She pressed her lips together in thought before snapping her fingers. "I got it. What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?"

Kallen thought about it and blushed at the memory of a particular incident but knew she couldn't say that one because it pertained to the resistance. So she chose a random one that had nothing to do with her double life. "Well, when I was five, my parents took me and my brother with them to a nobleman's wedding—I don't remember who—and, during the reception, I got bored and stared wandering around. I ended up tripping and falling into the wedding cake. It fell and covered quite a few people who were standing near it in cake."

Milly started laughing. "That is hilarious," she gasped.

Shirley was also chuckling while Nina and Nunnally were giggling and Kallen was flushing in embarrassment, though she did smile a little. Embarrassing though it was, that was a rather funny moment and something her brother hadn't let her live down yet. She smiled a little. _I am enjoying myself, more so than I thought I would,_ she mused silently.

 **. . .**

 _May 21, 2016_

 _Knightmare Simulation Chamber, Basic Training Camp_

The Qualification Tests took place on Saturday. During the morning was the Marksmanship Qualification and Suzaku passed that one with a score that was just above what he needed in order to pass. The same could be said for Lelouch, Dimitri, Kay, and Rayne. Tadashi and Lila, however, blew that qualification out of the water; they got such high scores that they could become snipers if they wanted to be while the rest of them would just keep the position of marksman.

After lunch came the second Qualification and that was the Knightmare Qualification. If one passed this qualification, then it meant that they could go on to the final phase of the training. However, if they scored high enough on this qualification then they would become part of the Knightmare Corps, which meant that they would be among the first to be chosen to join a knightmare squadron.

So long as they were Britannian anyway. An Honorary Britannian would never get the chance to join a knightmare squadron, even if they scored the highest score possible. That was just the way the system worked.

"You will be tested individually," Cloud said calmly as he faced the group. "Your score will be out of 100 but you have to get at last a 70 in order to pass. If you get a 90 or above, you will be given the badge that qualifies you as a member of the Knightmare Corps at graduation, and thus may get the chance to get even more advanced training if you wish. Let's begin."

The order in which the recruits went to complete their Knightmare Qualification seemed to be very random, though the Britannians were given priority. Kay and Rayne were among the first to go and both of them came out with some pretty high scores; Kay got a 98 while Rayne just barely missed the minimum to join her brother in getting the Knightmare Corps badge. She got an 89. Lila went next and came out with a 78 and Dimitri ended up with a 73.

"Recruit vi Britannia!" Cloud called out.

"Good luck," Suzaku said.

Lelouch nodded and made his way into the stimulation. He came out about ten minutes later looking as expressionless as ever.

"What'd you get?" Kay asked.

"96," Lelouch said.

"Guess ya took after your mother, eh?" Rayne said with a grin.

Lelouch shrugged and smiled a little. "I guess so," he said.

Cloud began calling on the Honorary Britannians soon after Lelouch had gone and Tadashi went first. He came back with a broad grin on his face. "I did so much better than I thought I would. I got an 85," he said cheerfully.

"Congrats," Kay said softly.

"Recruit Kururugi!" Cloud called.

"Good luck," Lelouch said.

"Thank you," Suzaku said and headed toward the simulation and slipping into it. Once he settled himself into the cockpit, he familiarized himself with the controls again and studied the instructions that he had been given. Destroy the enemy. Try to avoid as many civilian causalities as possible.

Before him, several enemies appeared in Glasgows and they were quick to charge forward and attack. Suzaku pressed his lips together and thrust the controls forward, pretending that he was fighting on the ground rather than in a giant robot. He just moved as if he was fighting an enemy on the ground and the mecha moved with him with each tilt, tug, and push of the controls.

Before long, the enemy lay defeated before him and Suzaku blinked before glancing at the time it took him to defeat the simulation: eight minutes and twenty seven seconds.

 _A new record for me,_ Suzaku mused as he left the simulator. His best time before today had always been just above nine minutes.

Cloud eyed Suzaku as he walked over to join him, looking impressed. "Very impressive for an Honorary Britannian, Recruit Kururugi," he said. "Very few have managed to score a perfect score on this simulation so congrats on joining that list. Shame that you can't actually become a knight but you'll still be part of the Knightmare Corps." He dismissed him after that, though Suzaku barely noticed, his mind reeling.

 _I got a_ perfect _score?_

He joined the rest of his friends, still a bit numb after that revelation.

"So what'd ya get?" Tadashi asked. "And you okay? You look shocked. Don't tell me ya failed it."

Suzaku shook his head, clearing his thoughts as well as answering Tadashi's question.

"So what'd you get?" Kay asked.

"100," Suzaku said.

"Whoa, really?" Rayne said while everyone looked stunned and Lelouch appeared deep in thought, a small smirk on his lips.

Suzaku nodded, briefly wondering what Lelouch was thinking about but decided that it wasn't any of his business.

"Nice job, Suzaku," Kay said with a quiet smile.

"Thank you," Suzaku replied.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: well, while the ending could've been better, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter**

 **Bakura: whatever (hops into _Shinkiro_ and goes to blow up Tokyo)**

 **Blaze: DAMN IT, BAKURA! LEAVE TOKYO ALONE! (Hops into _Lancelot Albion_ and chases after Bakura) Someone end the chapter!**

 **Lelouch: well, I suppose we'll have to end this chapter**

 **Suzaku: we usually do, now that I think about it**

 **Kallen: except for the few times that Blaze ends it**

 **Lelouch: good point. Anyway, chapter 11 will be posted, hopefully, before October begins but Blaze makes no promises and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	11. The Final Stage

**Well, I'm updating this story in less than three weeks so that's cool and I am planning on updating before November but I make no promises, as usual.**

 **Anyway, this is the chapter that concludes ARC I and will cover the last of basic training, the official, albeit somewhat brief, introduction of that major group of OC antagonists that I mentioned in the notes of chapter 1, brief interlude with C.C. and Clovis, and, yeah, that's pretty much it.**

 **(Looks at review count) wow, 15 people reviewed the last chapter? Awesome**

 **Thank you to _Republic Che, Doommajor, Blacksword Zero, Scarease, MABfan11, DYnoJackal19, god of all, OBSERVER01, harelquin320, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Shadow-Shinobi666, B-kira, davycrockett100, Determined Savior,_ and _Shimmering-Sky_ for reviewing the last chapter. You. Guys. Are. Awesome!**

 **I hope that you enjoy this chapter (it's eighteen pages and over 10,000 words! [Not including the author's notes]) and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _May 15, 2009_

 _Imperial Military Academy, Outskirts of Pendragon_

 _The Imperial Military Academy was the most prestigious military academy in the entire world and where many great military leaders made their start. Schneizel hadn't attended the academy himself, since he was more geared toward politics but he was there at the moment to congratulate his half-sister._

 _He wasn't alone either._

 _"I've been thinking," Marianne vi Britannia said at Schneizel's side. She was there with her two children. Nine-year-old Lelouch was looking bored out of his mind, seated in the chair between Schneizel and his mother while six-year-old Nunnally, who was seated closer to Marianne, was shifting and pouting._

 _"I'm bored," Nunnally whined, turning her bluish-purple eyes to her mother._

 _"The ceremony's almost over, Nunnally," Marianne reassured her, patting the tiny girl on the shoulder and turned back to Schneizel thoughtfully._

 _"What were you thinking, Lady Marianne?" Schneizel asked._

 _"Well, I've decided that I am in need of a Royal Guard, especially with the enemies that I have and I think I'm going to ask Cornelia if she would be my captain," Marianne said._

 _"I believe she would love such a position," Schneizel said. He was sure of it. He knew of just how much Cornelia idolized Marianne and she would not give up such an opportunity._

 _"I'll speak with her after the ceremony," Marianne said and returned her attention to the ceremony where the headmaster of the Academy was still speaking to the graduates._

 _A bored Lelouch leaned closer to Schneizel. "Brother Schneizel?" he said._

 _"Yes, Lelouch?" Schneizel asked, looking down at the small black-haired boy fondly. He was usually very coolly distant toward his other half-siblings but there were a few exceptions, Princess Euphemia, Lelouch, and Nunnally were among those. And he was rather fond of Lelouch; the boy was a brilliant and clever up-and-coming strategist._

 _"Do you think we can play a game of chess when this is over?" Lelouch asked eagerly._

 _"After you congratulate Cornelia, of course," Schneizel said._

 _Lelouch smiled a little. Schneizel, Cornelia, Clovis, Euphemia, and Nunnally were probably the only ones out of all of their siblings that have ever seen a genuine smile on Lelouch's face._

 _After the graduation ceremony, Marianne, taking Lelouch's and Nunnally's hands, guided them over to the reception area where their proud graduate was talking with the acquaintances she had made at the academy._

 _"Congratulations, Cornelia," Marianne said._

 _"Ah, thank you, Your Majesty," Cornelia said with a bow._

 _Marianne chuckled. "Considering you graduated at the top of your class, I have no doubt you've already been given offers on where to go next, correct?" she said with a kind smile._

 _"A few," Cornelia admitted._

 _"I have an offer as well. I have decided to build my own Royal Guard and I would like you to be the head of it," Marianne said._

 _Cornelia's indigo eyes went wide but she quickly composed herself._

 _"I mean, I understand if you would like to…" Marianne began._

 _"No, no, I would gladly accept the post as head of your Royal Guard, Lady Marianne. Thank you," Cornelia said immediately, just as Schneizel expected her to._

 _Marianne smiled. "You're welcome. Now, I think my two children would like to congratulate you as well," she said, letting go of her children's hands._

 _"Congrats, Nellie!" Nunnally cried happily, throwing her little arms around Cornelia's legs. Cornelia chuckled and patted Nunnally's head as Lelouch moved forward to offer his own congratulations._

 _"Congratulations, Nellie," he said with that small smile he reserved for only those he genuinely cared about._

 _"Thank you, Lelouch," Cornelia said, ruffling Lelouch's hair, causing him to scowl a little._

 _Marianne and Cornelia, with Nunnally in tow, walked off to talk more about Cornelia's new post, leaving Schneizel and Lelouch alone. Schneizel turned to his younger half-brother. "I believe I owe you a game of chess," he said._

 _Lelouch nodded eagerly. "This time, I'm gonna beat you," he declared._

 _Schneizel smiled. "Overconfidence can lead to a quick loss, Lelouch," he chided._

 _"But believing you can win can help motivate you to work harder to win," Lelouch countered._

 _"That is so," Schneizel conceded with a nod as the two of them walked away to find a quiet place to begin their chess match._

 **. . .**

 **11**

 **The Final Stage**

 _May 23, 2016_

 _Britannian Embassy, Phnom Penh, Cambodia_

Darany Soun made his way down the streets of Phnom Penh, heading toward the embassy on the edge of the city. As he was a high government official in the Cambodian government, he had his own form of protection in the form of a group of guards that followed him at a respectful distance. They were doing this just in case there were any assassins in the area, even though Soun doubted that there would be any.

Cambodia was rather neutral at the moment in the ongoing conflict between the Europia United and the Holy Empire of Britannia but that didn't mean that Britannia hadn't shown any interest in adding Cambodia to their growing Empire. The person that Soun was on his way to meet was an ambassador sent by the Emperor to speak to the government of Cambodia on the possibility of a treaty and Soun had been instructed by the president to ensure that they were allowed to keep their neutrality.

He entered the building that the Britannians had claimed for their embassy during the negotiations and a tall man with long rose-gold hair and blue eyes walked over to greet him. "Welcome. My Lord is waiting in the conference room," he said in Britannian.

"Then let's not keep him waiting, good sir," Soun said in a heavily accented Britannian. He was curious to know just who the ambassador Britannia sent was. He followed the young Britannian as he led the way down the hall toward the conference room and knocked on the door.

"My Lord, Representative Soun is here," he said.

"Send him in," a cool, regal voice said and the Britannian stepped aside. Soun made his way into the conference room and had to admit he was shocked by who was standing in front of him.

The tall, blonde form of the White Prince of Britannia, Schneizel el Britannia, rose gracefully. "Welcome, Representative Soun," he greeted him cordially as Soun closed the door behind him. "Please, take a seat. Would you care for some tea?"

"Yes, please, Your Highness," Soun said politely and took a seat at the table. The door opened and the rose-gold haired Britannian came back into the room.

"Kanon, some tea for our guest if you would," Schneizel said, sitting gracefully.

"Yes, My Lord," the Britannian, Kanon, said and turned to Soun. "How would you like your tea, sir?"

"Two cubes of sugar is all, good sir. Thank you," Soun said and Kanon bowed before walking out of the conference room. Soun returned his attention to Schneizel. "I must admit, I am surprised to meet you personally, Your Highness. Your reputation proceeds you."

Schneizel inclined his head. "Indeed," he said. "Nevertheless, we are here to discuss the terms of a treaty between the Holy Empire of Britannia and Cambodia, yes?"

"Yes, indeed," Soun said as Kanon returned and handed him his cup of tea. He blew on it and sipped it before adding, "President Song is willing to accept a treaty so long as his terms are met."

"Naturally, we will be willing to hear them out. However, I cannot guarantee that they will be accepted," Schneizel replied calmly.

Soun put his tea down. "One of the terms that President Song insists on being met is that we be allowed to maintain our neutrality in the conflict between Britannia and the EU. Also, we ask to maintain our independence and not become an area of Britannia."

Schneizel raised a delicate eyebrow at that. "Naturally, any nation would desire to remain independent," he mused. "The first condition is acceptable, though even if we adhere to that condition, there is no way of knowing whether the EU will adhere to it."

"President Song is confident that the EU will adhere to it as well. We have not yet received a request for negotiations with the EU, however."

"I see. Very well. The second condition is one that I will have to give more thought and bring the matter to the attention of the Emperor," Schneizel said calmly.

"Naturally, Your Highness," Soun said.

However, before Schneizel could say anything else, a _boom_ sounded in the distance. Soun jumped up. "What was that?" he demanded.

The door opened and Kanon, holding a phone in his hand, came darting into the room. "My Lord, Representative Soun," he said with a bow.

"What's happened, Kanon?" Schneizel asked as he got to his feet.

"My Lord, a terrorist attack by the looks of it. They just bombed the Phnom Penh Military Base," Kanon reported.

"What?" Soun exclaimed. "Why? We're neutral! Why would we be a target for terrorists?"

"They may have seen you as a threat. However, I cannot say for sure until I know more about the situation," Schneizel said. "Kanon, do we know who was behind the bombing?"

"We're still receiving reports of the situation. So far there is nothing to suggest who was behind the attack," Kanon reported and then lifted his phone to his ear when a voice started speaking on the other end. He nodded and murmured, "Understood," before closing his phone.

"The terrorists left behind something. Whichever faction was behind this attack clearly wanted us to know who they were," Kanon said.

Schneizel nodded in agreement. "Let's go," he said.

 **. . .**

 _Phnom Penh Military Base, Cambodia_

Schneizel walked amidst the ruins of the military base. Kanon was walking alongside him and Representative Soun who was walking on Kanon's other side, frowning at the devastation.

"It doesn't make any sense. Why bomb only _part_ of a military base rather than the whole place?" Soun said in confusion.

"What is significant about this area of the military base as opposed to the other areas?" Schneizel asked as they neared the area in which the Cambodian soldiers had found the mark of the terrorist faction responsible.

Soun frowned and then his eyes brightened in realization. "This was the area in which your convoy was housed," he said.

Schneizel knew that much as well as he had read through the report of the situation on the way to the military base. While his men had been lucky to not be on the base at the time of the attack, the fact remained that the terrorists had attacked an area that was filled primarily with Britannian soldiers. After all, they had specifically targeted a certain area of the base and, while Schneizel didn't know just how these terrorists knew he was in Cambodia, one fact remained.

This wasn't a terrorist attack on the Cambodian government.

This was a terrorist attack on _Britannia._

And Schneizel had a good feeling of just _who_ was behind the attack.

And his suspicions were proven correct a few minutes later when the soldier who found the mark revealed it.

A large U divided by two crossed swords.

The crest of the Liberators.

"The Liberators? They have made it plain clear that they are an anti-Britannian organization. Why would they attack Cambodia?" Soun said with a frown.

"They weren't attacking Cambodia, they were specifically targeting me," Schneizel said.

Kanon turned to Schneizel at that and his lips pressed together in thought. "It makes sense, My Lord," he said, "considering where they attacked. But that just brings up another question. How did they know you were going to be here today?"

"I suspect they may have some spies in very high places," Schneizel said. "However, that is not important now. Representative Soun?"

"Yes, Your Highness?" Soun asked, turning toward him.

"Inform President Song that he can expect a full-out terrorist attack on Phnom Penh soon," Schneizel said.

Soun was shocked. "What? Why do you say that?" he asked.

"This is not the first time that the Liberators have attacked Britannian forces. Each battle always began a similar way, with a swift, decisive strike meant to weaken the enemy."

Soun frowned. "I can inform the president but we are neutral and refuse to get in any conflicts between Britannia and another force. Therefore, I doubt President Song will agree to help," he said.

"That is fine. I can have my own men mobilized and ready to fight soon enough," Schneizel said.

 **. . .**

 _May 25, 2016_

 _Basic Training Camp_

They were in the final phase of basic training and, with only three weeks left, Lelouch was looking forward to when it would final end. He was missing his friends at Ashford Academy and he was missing Nunnally. He knew that he probably wouldn't be able to spend that much time with his friends and his little sister since he would be assigned his post pretty soon after graduation but he was still looking forward to it.

He smiled to himself as he reread the letter that Nunnally had sent him. Apparently, she and the student council had a sleepover during the weekend where they played games like Truth or Dare and told scary stories until it was late. Nunnally even admitted that she ended up staying up until one in the morning because she was having so much fun.

 _...But Sayoko came and told me that I should probably get some sleep. It took me a while to actually get to sleep though. We had a good time though and I'm hoping we can do this again sometime. I know Kallen probably won't be able to attend again 'cause she has a lot of doctor's appointments but having Shirley, Nina, and Milly spend the night was nice._

 _Oh and Milly told me to tell you that you'd better not forget your date with Shirley after you graduate from basic training. She says that she's already picked out the perfect outfit for Shirley to wear. But I wonder, does this mean that Shirley's going to be your girlfriend? Milly says it's about time that you got another girl in your life._

 _Well, I'd better go. I have homework to finish before tomorrow._

 _Love,_

 _Nunnally_

Lelouch folded the letter up, thinking about Milly's words in that letter and Milly being…well…Milly. _Only Milly would think that one date equaled dating status,_ he mused as he put the letter into its envelope. He had been a bit surprised when Shirley had actually asked him out on a date and did find it rather random, considering it was through the letter Nunnally had sent him. But he had agreed mostly out of politeness; besides, it would help him relax.

He hadn't really thought about dating before, despite the fact that he had most, if not all, of the girls at Ashford Academy practically falling over themselves to be near him. He just never had the time in between taking care of Nunnally, making enough money to pay for Nunnally's medical bills and buy food so that he wouldn't have to rely on the Ashfords, despite them insisting that it wasn't a problem, and keeping his grades up, though that really didn't take much effort on his part. And it wasn't as if he saw the other girls in that way; in fact, he barely gave them a passing glance and only associated with them when he had to.

Shirley was different. She had been his friend since his first year of high school. While he knew she hadn't really liked him when they first met, that had changed and they became close friends. She even had a tendency of acting like a mother hen toward him, constantly scolding him on his gambling habits and that just proved that she cared. She did get all flustered around him at times, though Lelouch had no idea why, but she was a good friend.

He didn't know how it would feel going on a date with her, especially considering he's never actually _been_ on a date before, but he hoped that it wouldn't be awkward. He mused that he would probably also have to figure out a way to ensure that the media didn't get wind of it; the last thing he wanted was for him and Shirley to be hounded by reporters.

The bell ending the lunch break rang and Lelouch tucked the letter away before standing up, noting that the rest of his friends had also gotten to their feet. They had spent the better part of the morning running drills and going over how to use other weapons. That was what this week was dedicated to; learning how to use other weapons that one might have on hand, such as grenades and chaos mines.

Lelouch and his friends left the mess hall and headed toward the training area where Greene stood to meet them. Rayne and Lila didn't look that happy, though only Rayne said anything about it.

"I just have to deal with the sexist bastard for three weeks, that's it. Just three weeks," she was murmuring under her breath. Lelouch only heard because he was walking beside her but he said nothing; Greene really was rather sexist.

"All right, recruits, listen up," Greene declared once the recruits fell into formation in front of him, standing still and at attention. "Just as we have been doing the past few days, you will be putting what you learned this morning into action. You will be using live fragmentation grenades for this exercise, unlike the practice ones you used in the morning and you will employ all the throwing positions that you learned over the past few days. Line up!"

The group immediately got into lines and the exercise went on. Throwing grenades wasn't that hard; the hardest part was getting the distance necessary to avoid getting caught in the blast and that just took practice.

Standing and throwing grenades was the normal position that most people used and, in the training area, that was what they started out with. However, due to the lack of cover, the recruits had to drop to the ground as soon as they released the grenade. However, they also used other positions, such as prone-to-standing positions or kneeling positions. It was rather tiring but it did go by rather quickly.

During dinner that night, Lelouch received another letter, this time from Euphie. He opened it up and began reading it to himself:

 _Dear Lelouch,_

 _I wish I'd been able to write to you sooner but I've been so busy with schooling and all those lessons that Mother is having me take since I'm turning sixteen soon. Nellie has been busy in the Middle East so she hasn't been able to write either but she sends her greetings. She is going to try and go to your graduation if she can take a break, though, considering things seem to be getting worse in the Middle East, she doesn't think that will happen._ _I'll also be trying to go to your graduation._

 _So how are you? How's life in the military treating you? Nunnally's been writing me and says that she only receives a letter once a week from you so you must be very busy. Nellie said that being in the military is very time-consuming so I guess that's why I haven't heard from you._

 _Write back as soon as you can._

 _Love,_

 _Euphie_

Lelouch put the letter down, reminding himself to write back to Euphie when he got back to the barracks and returned to his food.

"…and my brother was like 'you can't do it' but I sure proved him wrong!" Tadashi was saying when Lelouch tuned back into the conversation that his friends were having around him. "Granted, it took me forever to get off the roof after that and Mom and Dad weren't happy when they found me on the roof."

Rayne snickered. "Reminds me of this one time I also got onto the roof of my parents' manor," she mused.

"Though you got into big trouble with that since you did push the snow on the roof off onto Lord and Lady Weitz," Kay said dryly. "Weren't you confined to your room for a week after that?"

"I regret nothing," Rayne said with a smile but it was clear that the smile wasn't as genuine as her previous ones as was always the case when she talked about her life with her family.

"Have you ever done something like that, Lelouch, or has something like that happened to you?" Tadashi asked.

Suzaku smirked.

"Suzaku, shut up," Lelouch said flatly.

Suzaku's smirk widened into a grin. "Well, there was this one time," he began.

"Suzaku…" Lelouch said warningly.

"Lelouch, Nunnally, and I were outside in the garden. It started raining and we were told to come inside. We did but Lelouch slipped and landed in a rose bush," Suzaku said.

"Suzaku!" Lelouch growled, blushing in embarrassment at the memory as Tadashi started laughing.

"So you were clumsy when you were a kid?" Rayne asked, grinning in amusement.

"It was raining," Lelouch muttered.

"That's no excuse for clumsiness," Suzaku teased.

"Oh you were no better. Need I remind you of the river incident? Which would never have happened had you listened to me," Lelouch said casually.

"And how was I to know that you actually knew where you were going?" Suzaku said.

Kay shook his head in amusement. "So you were in Area 11 before the invasion?" he asked.

Lelouch glanced at Kay and nodded once but didn't elaborate, not wanting to discuss _why_ he was in Area 11 before the invasion. Thankfully, Kay didn't push.

 **. . .**

 _May 26, 2016_

 _Britannian Embassy, Phnom Penh, Cambodia_

Three days had gone by since the bombing of the military base and there was no word of an impending attack. However, Schneizel was still prepared just in case. The situation was much too similar to what happened with Cornelia, Castor, Pollux, and Marrybell, as well as everyone else who fought against and lost to the Liberators. While he wasn't sure why they were waiting to attack, he speculated it was to lull their enemy into a false sense of security; after all, the bombing of the military base would have everyone on high alert. If they didn't attack then most people would assume that the bombing was to make a statement and nothing was planned beyond that.

Schneizel was not one of those people.

After carefully studying the tactics of the Liberators, and musing on the missing portions of the reports he had gone through, Schneizel realized that whatever occurred in the portion in which no one reported on what decided the outcome of the battle was the reason why the Liberators had been so successful. He didn't know why no one had reported what actually happened, since there had been survivors—Cornelia and her Glaston Knights, Marrybell and her Glinda Knights, and Castor and Pollux for example—but he suspected foul play.

However, he couldn't fathom just how someone could have messed with the reports for _each_ engagement that the Liberators had partaken in and won.

And why didn't Cornelia or anyone _tell_ someone about what happened? Why keep such a thing a secret? Even if it was a pride thing, even Cornelia wouldn't keep such information to herself, not when it could help defeat the Liberators in the near future.

On that note, why hadn't Castor and Pollux taken into account just how the Liberators won against them when they engaged the Liberators again?

It was mind-boggling and Schneizel still felt as if he was missing something, something very important, but he couldn't seem to figure out what.

He would have to contact Cornelia and the others and see what they knew about what happened during the time in which the Liberators launched their attack to win their fights. He walked down the hall and entered his private study. Patching himself through to Cornelia, he waited for his half-sister to respond.

It took several minutes but, eventually, Cornelia's image appeared on the computer screen. " _Brother Schneizel, to what do I owe the pleasure?_ " She asked. She sounded tired and, while Schneizel knew that it was about four in the morning in the Middle East, he doubted she was actually sleeping.

"I apologize for calling so early but there is something I need to ask you," Schneizel said.

" _What is it?_ " Cornelia asked.

"When you battled against the Liberators in Area 16 last year, how did the Liberators win? It's not included in your report of the incident and you never said anything about what happened," Schneizel said.

Cornelia grounded her teeth together, looking incredibly frustrated at the memory, but then she blinked in surprise. " _What? It_ wasn't _in the report? I remember including how the Liberators won in that report and no one asked so I figured they read it,_ " she said.

Schneizel frowned. At that, the only thing he could think of was that someone altered the reports _after_ they had already been finished but _before_ they had been submitted, which would indicate a breach in security. That made Schneizel wonder just how no one had noticed the breach.

" _Anyway,_ " Cornelia said. " _What happened was that the Liberators attacked using a series of guerilla attacks to overwhelm and destroy a sizable portion of the army at the military base in Area 16. When I arrived, my men and I launched a full-out frontal assault against them. I defeated them rather quickly—they seemed to focus more on retreating than actually fighting back—but then, the next day, they launched a series of guerilla attacks but I was able to defeat them again. But, when we were resting and getting our breaths back, these…_ things _just attacked us out of nowhere in another series of guerilla attacks. They took my forces by surprise and destroyed quite a sizable portion of it with each of their attacks before I was forced to call a retreat._ "

Schneizel frowned. "What were these _things_ that attacked?" he asked.

" _I am not entirely sure. They were a kind of knightmare frame I've never seen before. I didn't get that good a look at them. I only saw that they seemed to be in the shape of a canine of sorts and it was bronze in color,_ " Cornelia admitted.

Schneizel nodded. "Thank you, Sister," he said.

Cornelia covered her mouth to hide her yawn. " _You're welcome, Brother,_ " she said.

"You should get some sleep."

" _I have too much to do. Goodbye, Brother,_ " Cornelia said and ended the video call.

Schneizel contacted Castor, Pollux, Marrybell, and the other commanders that had lost to the Liberators next and listened to their sides of the story, his mind putting the pieces together as he did so.

 _Clever,_ he mused as the full picture took shape. _Very clever. The leader of the Liberators must be a cunning military strategist to come up with such an elaborate tactic. Even I do not have all the pieces and yet I strongly suspect that I am correct, especially if I look at each battle in the order that they occur. If it is truly a repeating cycle like I think it is then I know of just how the Liberators will try and win against me when they do attack. But I will have to wait until they attack to confirm my theory._

 **. . .**

 _May 31, 2016_

 _Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement_

 _ **The White Prince of Britannia Hands the Undefeated Anti-Britannian**_

 _ **Terrorist Organization Their First Defeat!**_

 _By Heather Quill_

 _PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA—In a shocking turn of events, the scheduled negotiations for a peace treaty between the nation of Cambodia and the Holy Empire of Britannia was shelved as a near tragedy struck. On Monday, May 23, 2016, an area of the Phnom Penh Military Base in which the convoy that accompanied Prince Schneizel el Britannia, Prime Minister of Britannia, was attacked and destroyed by terrorists. While there were no causalities, the terrorist organization who launched the attack and claimed credit for it by leaving behind their crest was none other than the Liberators._

 _The Liberators is an anti-Britannian terrorist organization comprised of many cells, though it is unknown where the main body of the organization is located. It is speculated that they were formed in the Europia United. While the exact date of their formation is unknown, they first made their appearance in late 2006. Little information is known about the Liberators; however, what is known is that they are a massive terrorist organization whom, it has been confirmed, has cells in as many as eight of the Areas of the Holy Empire of Britannia._

 _The vicious attack on the Phnom Penh Military Base was simply the prelude to the storm for, on Friday, May 27th, a cell of the Liberators launched a series of guerilla attacks against Prince Schneizel and the Britannian convoy who accompanied him to Phnom Penh. Unfortunately, due to their neutrality, the Cambodian Government were unable to lend a hand and help the White Prince. Thus, Prince Schneizel was greatly outnumbered and outmatched by the Liberators' and the arsenal of weapons and knightmares that they had to use against him._

 _However, reinforcements for Britannia were quick to arrive within_ _less than_ _a day of the Liberators' assault, giving the White Prince the numbers to draw the Liberators into a stalemate each time that they attacked. The Liberators persisted but Prince Schneizel persevered, forcing the Liberators to retreat. However, the Liberators were not done yet. In another shocking turn of events, the cell launched an attack on the White Prince's forces the night of Saturday, May 28th, clearly thinking that such an attack would annihilate Prince Schneizel's forces as they were believed to be unprepared and at their weakest._

 _However, Prince Schneizel, truly the Cold-Blooded Strategist, was prepared. By allowing the Liberators' cell to get close to his forces, under the pretense that he and his men were asleep and thus unprepared, the White Prince unleashed a devastatingly ruthless trap that ensnared and destroyed a large portion of the Liberators' forces. Soon after that, he launched a full-scale assault on the remains of the Liberators forces, decimating the cell and leaving very few, if any, survivors._

 _Prince Schneizel el Britannia has done what no one has been able to do before him in defeating a cell of the undefeated anti-Britannian terrorist organization that have proven themselves a large problem to be dealt with. While the Liberators as a whole has not been defeated, it is clear that they have a new enemy, just as Britannia has a new hope, in the form of the White Prince of Britannia._

Clovis put the newspaper down and turned his gaze to the large windows that allowed him a view of the Tokyo Settlement. He had received the article from General Bartley about half an hour ago with the story of his older brother Schneizel's impressive victory dominating the front page and had already read it twice. He always knew that Schneizel was a brilliant strategist and he had to admit that it was impressive of him to actually be able to defeat the seemingly undefeatable Liberators.

But it also put a bad light on Clovis, since he also had a cell of the Liberators thriving in Area 11 and hadn't done anything about it.

The truth of the matter was that Clovis _couldn't_ do anything about it because not only had the Liberators not made a single move in Area 11—that Clovis knew of—but he also had no idea of where they could be hiding.

There was an increase of terrorist activity all throughout Area 11. Even though General Andon had defeated the Crimson Sakuras at Osaka, there were still terrorist cells scattered throughout the area, including the Japan Liberation Front. To make matters worse was the appearance of a small terrorist cell in the Shinjuku Ghetto, practically in Clovis's backyard.

There was a knock on his door and Clovis, putting the newspaper down, called for the person to enter. The door opened and General Andon made his way into the office. "Your Highness, you wished to see me?" Andon greeted him with a polite bow.

"General Andon, please, take a seat," Clovis said as Andon walked over and sat down on a chair. "I called you here because I need you to step up your game in finding these terrorists and destroying them."

"I assure you, Your Highness, that I am doing all that I can; however, ever since the defeat of the Crimson Sakuras at Osaka, the terrorists have made no significant moves."

"What of the terrorist cell that formed in the Shinjuku Ghetto?"

"Have gone to ground since they were first brought to our attention. I suspect that cell is rather small so finding them will probably be harder than finding the larger resistances in the area," Andon said.

Clovis hummed but knew that Andon was right. "And what of the Liberators? I know there is, at least, one cell in Area 11. However, there could be more," he said.

"We have found no clues suggesting that there is more than one cell."

"What about possible connections between the Liberators and the Crimson Sakuras? Or the attacks on Sapporo and Hakodate?"

"Still nothing in both regards. If the Liberators helped the Crimson Sakuras or were behind the attacks on Sapporo and Hakodate, they covered their tracks very well," Andon said.

Clovis rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on. "Is there _anything_ that can be done now?" he asked.

"Right now, no, Your Highness. We need to be patient," Andon said.

"I don't want to be patient! I want results," Clovis exclaimed.

Andon wasn't fazed at all by Clovis's outburst. "Results cannot come if one rushes headlong into a situation without first figuring out just what the situation is," he said calmly. "And, right now, we don't _know_ what the situation is. However, I will have my men keep a close eye on the Shinjuku Ghetto and see if we can root out the terrorists that are hiding there."

"Yes, I think that would be best. Those terrorists are much too close to the settlement for my liking," Clovis decided since he really didn't like the idea of having terrorists as close to the settlement as that new cell was.

He dismissed Andon with a wave of his hand and relaxed in his seat once the Commander-in-Chief of the 11th Division left. Closing his eyes, the blonde prince thought about the situation and his thoughts drifted to Schneizel and his victory. A thought came to his mind and Clovis opened his eyes.

 _Perhaps I should pay_ her _a visit. If she is willing to cooperate with me now then I might gain something that I can use against the terrorists, maybe something that could help me defeat the Liberator cell here in Area 11,_ he thought. He decided that he would visit the girl in the morning; for now, he had work to finish.

 **. . .**

 _June 1, 2016_

 _Hidden Laboratory, Edge of the Tokyo Settlement_

C.C. looked like she was quietly sleeping, her green hair fanning out behind her and her arms pinned to her side as her chest rose and fell with each breath that she took. Her body was unmarred, despite the cruel torture that she had endured at the hands of the experimenters but that was part of the reason why Clovis found her so interesting, she knew.

However, she was not sleeping. Even though she was currently drugged and unable to move due to the straps that kept her in place, C.C. was still very much aware of her surroundings. The drugs that had been pumped into her system really didn't affect her like the experimenters thought, due to her being immortal and thus immune to all drugs, but she decided to just remain calm and let them think their drugs were doing their job. That way they wouldn't use the stronger stuff that actually worked on her and usually kept her sedated and unconscious for days on end.

She didn't like this place and she certainly held a vendetta against Clovis for what he did to her. She hadn't meant to let herself get captured a few years ago; she had just come to Area 11 because she wanted to observe Marianne's children. However, after she had been unfortunate enough to get caught in a firefight between Clovis's Royal Guard and a group of vengeful Elevens, Clovis had seen her regenerate and come back to life. He had immediately ordered her sedated and then, after transporting her to a secure hidden laboratory, had his scientists begun performing experiments on her.

The experiments were all designed to see just how far her regenerative abilities would go. They burned her, cut her, stabbed her, shot her, anything they could think of and, each time, she came back to life without even so much as a scar and a stronger hatred for the experimenters. While she had experienced much in the years that she had been alive, including getting burned at the stake, getting decapitated, and getting shot who knew how many times, actively being tortured to death over and over was, by far, the worst thing she had ever experienced.

She had tried to escape within the first couple of days but they just gave her that strong sedative that kept her unconscious for days. Eventually, she just gave up and let them do what they wanted; it wasn't as if it would really affect her, other than make her irritated and give her nightmares for years to come. She would just come back to life and, while it wasn't something she wanted to experience—she wasn't a masochist—she was rather apathetic toward it.

Then again, she had become rather apathetic toward a lot of things since she was tricked into taking the Code centuries earlier.

She was still looking for a new contractor to grant her the wish that she has sought for centuries as well. Mao had been a mistake, a mistake that she was not about to repeat. She was going to be careful with whom she chose to be her next contractor because she did not want a repeat of Mao.

However, until she got out of that laboratory, not only would she not be able to seek out another contractor but she also couldn't keep in contact with Marianne. She didn't know what was blocking her connection with Marianne, since she was usually _always_ connected to the World of C, but she knew that it was blocked somehow.

The door to her room— _cell,_ she thought apathetically—opened and she heard the shuffle of feet.

"Has she woken up at all today?" Clovis's voice sounded.

"Not since yesterday. The drugs we've given her should keep her sedated for a few more hours," one of the experimenters said.

"Then I suggest you give her the antidote. I need to speak with her," Clovis said.

 _Not like I wish to speak to you,_ C.C. thought.

"Yes, Your Highness," the experimenter said and moved to C.C.'s bed side, picking up her arm and she felt a slight prick before the experimenter injected the antidote into her.

She contemplated doing nothing and pretending that it didn't work but decided against it. Instead, her golden eyes fluttered open and she gazed apathetically at Clovis as the prince came to her side.

"So, girl, I'd like to talk with you," he said.

She said nothing.

"There must be some way we can come to an agreement of sorts. I find myself in a dilemma and I believe you can help me get out of it," Clovis said.

"The vain Prince Clovis actually admitting he needs help? The apocalypse must be starting," C.C. drawled.

Clovis's eye twitched. "Look, I'll release you if you just help me. I know you have power and that you're immortal. There must be some way you can give that power to me," he said.

C.C. said nothing. Clovis may have figured out that she had power, though that was only because he had seen the results when C.C. tried to escape the first time—which ended with C.C. driving three of his scientists mad by forcing them to relive an amplified version of their most terrifying, darkest, traumatic memories—but he knew nothing of the true nature of the power C.C. could bestow upon others.

And she wasn't going to enlighten him on that. She was not going to go into a contract with Clovis of all people, especially not after what he and his scientists had done to her the past couple of years.

Clovis scowled. "Will you help me or not?" he demanded.

"No," C.C. deadpanned and closed her eyes, promptly ignoring anything else the prince had to say. It wasn't long before she heard Clovis, growling angrily under his breath, leave the cell. She knew that saying no to Clovis probably would only succeed in garnering her more torture but she didn't care. She refused to go into a contract with Clovis and refuse to tell him anything about the Power of the Kings and if she had to endure more torture as a result of her refusal then so be it.

 **. . .**

 _June 11, 2016_

 _Basic Training Camp_

Lelouch had to admit, he was surprised by how fast the final three weeks of basic training had gone by. It seemed like it was just yesterday that he was talking with his friends after going through training with various kinds of weapons, like hand grenades, chaos mines, machine guns, and missile launchers.

Still, the past nine weeks had certainly been eventful and, while not exactly enjoyable, Lelouch had come across a small group of acquaintances that had, within the matter of a few weeks, become good friends. They each possessed their own skills that would make them valuable allies. They also helped to make basic training bearable.

Not only that but Lelouch had also been reunited with his childhood best friend Suzaku and realized that both of them shared a very similar goal. Plus, he also found out that Suzaku could, very well, be an Ace at Knightmare piloting, according to the stimulation anyway. Lelouch mused that he would have to find a way to get Suzaku behind the controls of a real knightmare and see if he did as well with a real knightmare as he did with the stimulation, just as Kay had done.

"Man, I can't believe we're almost done," Tadashi said as he laced up his combat boots. "Don't we just got today and then we're done?"

"I think so," Suzaku said, kneeling by his footlocker and organizing it since there was a final inspection coming up that day. "Graduation is this coming Wednesday, right?"

"Yes," Dimitri said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed across his broad chest.

"I, for one, am looking forward to getting outta here," Rayne said, resting her back against the bed as she stretched her legs out in front of her. She was seated on the floor with Lila, who was cross-legged, seated beside her. Kay was on his bunk with Tadashi seated next to him. "Though I'm gonna miss all of ya. I hope we get assigned to the same post."

"Same here," Kay said quietly.

"Hey, maybe we will," Tadashi said with a cheerful smile. "So doncha get all upset on never seeing me again, beautiful."

Rayne gave him a dull look but said nothing.

"It's doubtful that you'll be placed at the same post as us," Lila said. "Honorary Britannians are usually placed with other Honorary Britannians."

"Oh, well that sucks," Tadashi muttered.

The inspection began five minutes later. Dimitri, Lila, and Rayne returned to their bunks as Sergeant Greene made his rounds, checking everything and making sure everything was in order. Everyone passed the inspection and they were then ordered into the mess hall for breakfast before they would begin the final test that they needed to pass in order to graduate.

The final test was known as the Triumph Forge.

Basically, all the Triumph Forge did was take everything that they had been taught the last nine weeks and put it all into one final test that was to be done in the foothills of the mountains. It began with a ten kilometer foot march through the woodlands and into the foothills themselves followed by a course done at night and then the return journey.

Lelouch mused that he had gained some muscles and stamina over the course of the last nine weeks, though that wasn't that big of a surprise, but he still hated exercise with a passion. He was more of a commander than a fighter, leading his men into battle, yes, but he preferred giving orders and working out strategies as opposed to actually fighting. Granted, now, he could fight if he needed to.

The ten kilometer foot march began. Once again, it came as no surprise to anyone that Kay and Suzaku were easily outstripping the majority of the recruits but the recruits were still making very good time. The marching through woodlands and foothills was more challenging though; it included rounding many switchbacks, climbing over rocks and boulders, and crossing streams with their packs over their heads. Not to mention, the march mostly followed a gradual incline.

Summer had also just begun and, by mid-day, it was hot and humid, making it more challenging than in the morning, when it was cooler. However, despite these obstacles, everyone managed to make it through to the end of the Triumph Forge in one piece and with a sense of accomplishment hanging over them.

When they got back to the camp, Greene and Cloud met them. "Congratulations and good work, all of you," Greene stated, his eyes scanning the group of tired but proud recruits standing in front of him. "Go shower and rest. You've earned it. Dismissed!"

"Yes, sir," the recruits stated as one and then ambled their way toward the barracks to shower and rest.

 **. . .**

 _June 15, 2016_

 _Sanders Field, Tokyo Military Base, Area 11_

Princess Euphemia li Britannia meandered her way through the crowd of proud family members and friends that were gathered on Sanders Field, which was just outside of the Tokyo Military Base, to congratulate the graduates. Even though the training itself had taken place at a camp that was five miles away the settlement, the graduation ceremony took place at the military base itself. That way it made it easier for friends and families who wanted to see the graduation to find the place.

Euphie had come to Area 11 to attend her older half-brother's graduation for only one reason, because she wanted to congratulate her older half-brother in person. She had arrived the day before and stayed at the Viceroy's Palace for the night, while admittedly not telling Clovis that she wasn't exactly supposed to be there. In the morning, before heading to the ceremony with her bodyguard—she wasn't stupid. Even if she was walking around in a disguise, Euphie made sure to have a bodyguard nearby just in case—she visited Ashford Academy to speak to Nunnally.

Nunnally had been thrilled to talk to Euphie again and admitted that she would have loved to go to Lelouch's graduation but felt it would be safer if she didn't. While Euphie would have liked to take Nunnally to the graduation herself, she knew that Nunnally was probably right. So she agreed to take the gifts and cards that Nunnally had made for both Lelouch and someone named Suzaku and headed out.

She had gotten there a bit late, though, thankfully, the ceremony hadn't started yet when she arrived. It had taken some time for her to navigate her way to a pair of seats with her bodyguard behind her though. At least she was in disguise with her long pink hair in a messy bun and hidden by a large, floppy sun hat and she was dressed casually in jeans and a pink shirt and was carrying a handbag in which were the two gifts that Nunnally wanted her to hand out.

She had ended up spending the entire ceremony seated behind a blonde girl that looked around seventeen and very familiar.

The ceremony went by rather quickly, ending with the recruits swearing their allegiance to Britannia with the Britannian flag flying in front of them. Then it was time for the reception in which the recruit were allowed to speak to their families and friends.

And that was what Euphie was currently doing, trying to find her brother amidst the crowd of people. Her bodyguard was trailing behind her, keeping an eye out for anyone that might pose a threat to her.

Finally, Euphie broke free from the bulk of the crowd and spotted her half-brother talking with a group; there were six people she didn't recognize and then the blonde that had been sitting in front of her during the ceremony. She grinned to herself as she darted forward. "Lelouch," she shouted and Lelouch turned around and caught her when she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. He stumbled back but managed to stay on his feet as he stared at her in surprise.

"Euphie?" he said. "What are you doing here?"

Euphie chuckled. "I told you that I'd try and make it to your graduation," she said as she released him and took her hat off, allowing her pink hair to flow down her back, since it had come out of its bun. The hat was bugging her anyway. Her bodyguard came to her side, his eyes still scanning the area.

"Is Nellie with you?" Lelouch asked.

Euphie shook her head. "She's still in the Middle East," she said.

Lelouch frowned. "Why do I get the feeling I'm going to be having an angry Nellie calling me any second now?" he asked, just as his phone began ringing. He pulled it out and answered it. "Hello?"

" _PUT EUPHIE ON THE PHONE RIGHT NOW!_ " Lelouch had to jerk the phone away from his ear at Cornelia's furious shout.

"It's for you," Lelouch said dryly, rubbing his ear with one hand and handing the phone to Euphie with the other.

She smiled apologetically at the amethyst-eyed prince and took the phone. "Hello?" she said.

" _Euphie, why did you leave without telling anyone that you were leaving? You practically gave Mother a heart attack when she couldn't find you,_ " Cornelia said sternly. " _She called me in a panic so I calmed her down as best as I could and explained that, since today was Lelouch's graduation, you had probably gone to attend._ "

"I take it Mother wasn't happy with my decision," Euphie said with a sigh. It was a rhetorical question. She knew that her mother wouldn't be happy with her decision, not just because Area 11 wasn't exactly the safest place to be at the moment but also because she really didn't care for the vi Britannias. She was nowhere near as close to the vi Britannias as Euphie and Cornelia were.

" _Obviously,_ " Cornelia said, sounding calmer now. " _That was very reckless of you to leave without telling anyone._ "

"I know, Nellie, I'm sorry but I wanted to go and I knew Mother wouldn't have let me go. But I'm not stupid. Not only did I disguise myself but I also brought along a bodyguard and his very good at not drawing attention to himself or me."

" _Still, you're going to be in trouble when you get back to Pendragon but I suppose since you did take precautions, I can't stay too angry with you,_ " Cornelia said finally. " _Give the phone back to Lelouch, Euphie._ "

"All right, sister. She wants to talk to you," Euphie said, holding out the phone to Lelouch who took it as Euphie turned her gaze to the group who was watching the interaction with confusion on their faces.

Lelouch finally hung up and turned his attention back to the group and Euphie. "Next time you leave without telling anyone, Euphie, please send me warning so I _won't_ get my eardrum busted by Nellie's yelling," he said.

Euphie smiled apologetically again at him. "Sorry, Lelouch," she said. "I wasn't expecting her to find out that quickly. So are you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"I guess. Guys, this is my sister, Princess Euphemia li Britannia," Lelouch said to the group.

"But call me Euphie," Euphie added with a bright smile. "It's nice to meet all of you."

"It's nice to meet you officially, Euphie," the blonde girl said with a smile as she stepped forward and gave a small bow. "We never actually met but we've run into each other a few times at the Aries Villa. I'm Milly Ashford."

Euphie blinked. "Oh, I remember you now," she said. "Nellie said that your family was one of Lady Marianne's biggest supporters. It's nice to officially meet you but you don't have to bow. I'm trying not to draw attention to myself."

"Naturally, wouldn't want to get mobbed by reporters and the media," Milly said with a smirk as she straightened up.

"Who would?" Lelouch said dryly.

The burnt-orange haired boy came up next "Hi, I'm Tadashi Akiyama, it's nice to meet ya, pretty lady. Boy, you are hot," he said brightly.

Euphie giggled while Lelouch glared at Tadashi to the point that the burnt-orange-haired boy let out an _eep_ and bolted to hide behind the tall, olive-green haired young man. "It was just a compliment!" Tadashi said in fear. "I thought you were only protective of Nunnally."

"I am but I'm also protective of Euphie," Lelouch said simply.

"Though not nearly as much as Nellie is of me," Euphie mused and glanced at the rest of the group.

"I'm Lila Moore," the blonde girl with brown eyes said.

"I'm Rayne Frost and this is my little brother Kayden," the pale-blue-haired girl said.

"I'm older than you by five minutes, Rayne," the silvery-blue haired boy that didn't look a day over thirteen said dryly and turned to Euphie. "Call me Kay, Your…I mean, Euphie. Everyone does."

"I am Dimitri Duncan, Your Highness," the olive-green haired man that Tadashi was still using as a shield said with a slight bow.

Euphie pouted. "I thought I said to call me Euphie," she said.

"Don't bother, Euphie," Lelouch said with a faint smile. "I've been trying to get him to call me by my first name since we met. It hasn't worked yet."

Euphie chuckled and turned her gaze to the last member of the group, the second Eleven; he was tall, only a few inches shorter than Lelouch, with messy brown hair and bright emerald green eyes.

"And you are?" she asked since he hadn't introduced himself yet.

"Oh, uh, I'm Suzaku Kururugi, um, Euphie," the boy said.

"It's nice to meet you, Suzaku," Euphie said. "You must be the Suzaku that Nunnally told me to track down. She sent something for both you and Lelouch and asked me to give them to you when I visited her." She dug into her handbag and pulled out two cards as well as two messily wrapped gifts. She handed one card and one gift to Lelouch and the other pair to Suzaku.

Lelouch opened his card, smiling to himself as he read what was written there and then opened the gift to reveal a foam crane painted black. Euphie noticed that Suzaku got the same thing, except that his was painted white.

"We'll thank Nunnally personally when we go to Ashford tomorrow," Lelouch said.

"We?" Suzaku echoed.

Lelouch gave Suzaku a look. "Yes, Suzaku, _we._ Nunnally wants to see you again so I will drag you if I have to," he said.

Suzaku rubbed his head but sighed. "I guess it couldn't hurt and I do wanna see Nunnally again," he said.

Lelouch turned back to Euphie. "So how long are you going to be staying in Area 11, Euphie?" he asked.

"I doubt for very much longer. Since Brother Clovis said that the terrorist threat is getting worse with each passing day, it'll probably be safer for me to return to the Homeland as soon as possible," Euphie said. While she didn't like it, she knew that Clovis was right and she could be in danger if she stayed.

"Probably," Lelouch agreed.

"Congratulations, Lelouch," a new voice cut into the conversation and Euphie and Lelouch turned to find the last person Euphie expected to see there, especially given his duties to the Empire, walking over to join them.

"Schneizel, what are you doing here?" Lelouch asked bewildered as the White Prince came to a stop in front of him.

"For a few reason, one being to congratulate you on graduating," Schneizel said calmly, his face impassive. "But also for a reason that I feel would be best discussed in private. Hello, Euphie. I must admit I am surprised to see you here."

"Hello Brother Schneizel. So were Lelouch and Nellie," Euphie admitted with a sheepish smile.

"I bet they were. Come, Lelouch, we have some things to discuss. I will send a few of my guards over to ensure your safety, Euphie," Schneizel said and turned and walked away before Euphie could protest. Lelouch followed suit.

Euphie huffed. "I'm not a baby anymore," she muttered.

"I'm sure he just wants you to be safe, Euphie," Suzaku said reasonably.

"I guess," Euphie said and turned to Suzaku. "So how do you know Lelouch and Nunnally, Suzaku?"

"Um, well, uh…" Suzaku looked flustered and avoided her eyes. "We met when they came to Area 11 before the invasion. I, uh, kinda didn't get along with Lelouch in the beginning but got along well with Nunnally but all three of us ended up friends over time."

Euphie smiled, which seemed to cause Suzaku to become more flustered than before. "That's good," she said.

 **. . .**

 _Meeting Room, Tokyo Military Base, Area 11_

Lelouch sat down on one of the chairs at the table while Schneizel took a seat across from him. As everyone was on Sanders Field greeting the graduates, that area of the military base was pretty much deserted. Plus, the meeting room was designed to ensure privacy so there was no risk of someone listening in on the conversation.

"Father and I have discussed what will happen to you now that you've completed basic training and are ready to enter into the military officially," Schneizel said. "We've agreed that you are to be given the rank of Colonel and given command of the 11th Regiment here in Area 11."

Lelouch nodded.

"General Andon will be your superior officer but, due to your status, any orders from me or Father will become priority. Right now, Andon is focused on eradicating the terrorist threat here in Area 11 and Father and I have agreed that you will help him in that endeavor and prove yourself by helping to take care of that threat," Schneizel said.

Lelouch nodded thoughtfully and his thoughts went to the friends he had made who definitely were skilled in specific areas. They were his allies and he would ensure that they remained his allies. If he was in charge of an actual regiment then… "As for the 11th Regiment, I am allowed to pick and choose who I wish to join it, right?"

"Yes," Schneizel said with a nod.

A cool smirk crossed his lips. "Good because I already have some candidates in mind," he said.

"I suspected you would," Schneizel said before he stood up. "Once again, congratulations, Lelouch."

"Thank you," Lelouch said also standing up and following Schneizel as the White Prince led the way out of the meeting room and toward where Euphie and the rest of Lelouch's friends were gathered.

 **. . .**

 **End of Arc I**

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: Arc II is, officially, entitled _Storms_**

 **Suzaku: well, considering what happens in Arc II, that actually makes a lot of sense**

 **Blaze: I thought so myself!**

 **Lelouch: anything you want to tell us about Arc II?**

 **Kallen: that won't spoil it for the readers?**

 **Blaze: hmm, let's see (looks through the chapters of Arc II) a lot happens. There will be Lulu/Shirley moments, Tara will dig herself deeper into the hole she's already in (though, this time, not _just_ with Lelouch), the Crimson Sakuras that were mentioned in this chapter will play a part, the Liberators will be given more depth, two important battles, exploring backstories for a few of the OCs as they relate to the main plot of our main hero/anti-hero Lelouch, and yeah**

 **Kallen: well, that doesn't really spoil anything**

 **Blaze: well, I had to take out quite a bit in order to not spoil the arc. That was just to give you an idea of what is happening in Arc II**

 **Lelouch: interesting...why do I have this feeling I'm going to hate you by the time Arc II is over?**

 **Blaze: well, if you don't count the first chapter of Arc III then you won't...much. Ah, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Lelouch: (growls warningly) Blaze, what do you mean 'if you don't count the first chapter of Arc III'? What will happen in the first chapter of Arc III?**

 **Blaze: reviews are much appreciated (takes off running)**

 **Lelouch: get back here and answer my question! (Takes off after Blaze)**

 **Suzaku: (sweatdrops and sighs) thank you all for reading**


	12. A Series of Reunions

**Well, I am updating before November so that's good! However, due to the turn the story took in the first chapter of Arc III and the subsequent chapters, I had to scrap my outlined version of Arc IV as well as the outline of the last three or so chapters of Arc III. In other words, I have to rework the ending of Arc III and all of Arc IV in order to solve all the plot points that are brought up in Arc I and Arc II.**

 **Bakura: yeah and you're updates are still gonna be extremely slow despite having 33 total prewritten chapters**

 **School, life, school, trying to rework the ending of Arc III and all of Arc IV, school, writing my original story, school, working on my other fanfics, school...oh and did I mention school?**

 **Bakura: SIX TIMES ALREADY!**

 **Gees, no need to yell. Anyway, so please be patient with me! This story will be finished, eventually, but it will be finished!**

 **Anyway, thank you to _Guest, MasterDangel, Otaku-Nation666, Kami No Raijin, OBSERVER01, Blacksword Zero, Shadow-Shinobi666, harlequin320, B-Kira, Doommajor, ewertondragon, Scarease, Shimmering-Sky,_ and _davycrocket100_ for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

 **And here is the first chapter of Arc II in which we get some more on the backstory of the OCs from basic training introduced in Arc I, Suzaku meets the Student Council, Lulu and Shirley get their date, Milly acts like...well...Milly and yeah. I hope you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 **Arc II**

 **Storms**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

"Fallen heroes scattered around

Deafened ears opens up to the sound

Painful cries rising forever more

Through the victims of life and of war."

—"Revelations" by Dragonforce [Album: Valley of the Damned (2003)]

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _July 22, 2015_

 _Frost Manor, Pendragon_

 _Rayne moved through her room, gathering her clothes and stuffing them into her suitcases, her long pale-blue hair falling over her shoulder. She paused for a moment and tied her hair back in a ponytail before going back to work packing everything she wanted to take with her._

 _Kay stood in the doorway, his own suitcases packed and resting in front of him. "You know, we could have already left if you'd thought to do this earlier," he said softly._

 _Rayne glanced at him. "Well, excuse me for forgetting," she huffed._

 _"I reminded you earlier too."_

 _Rayne rolled her eyes. "Our dear parents are going to be home soon and I wanna get to the airport and outta here before they get home. Ethan'll be waiting for us at the airport, right?"_

 _"That's what he said."_

 _Rayne smiled and returned to her frantic packing. Ethan was an advisor to their mother and a friend of the family whom Rayne and Kay had always been close to. After he had quit three months ago, he still maintained contact with Rayne and Kay. He was the only one who was willing to help them run away now, though that was because he understood that they just wanted a chance to start over._

 _After all, if they had stayed, Rayne would be married off to some random nobleman that was likely going to be twice her age and she had no idea of what would happen to her twin. Kay was intelligent and knew how to pilot knightmares, due to the time he spent with the technicians, but there had been no mention of him joining the military or anything like that. As it was, their so-called parents didn't think he would amount to anything and had admitted that they didn't care what happened to him because he was worthless._

 _After hearing that, Rayne had been furious on her twin's behalf but was even more upset when she caught her brother crying in the library over their parents' callous words._

 _It was then that they made the decision to run away and, after calling Ethan and telling him about what happened, Ethan was quick to agree to help them._

 _"Okay, I've got everything together now," Rayne said, stuffing the last of her items into her suitcase and closing it before latching it. She grabbed the handle of the suitcase and turned to Kay. "Ready?"_

 _Kay nodded and the two of them headed toward the doors to the manor, quietly to avoid attracting the attention of the maids, and left, hurrying toward the large gates leading into the manor._

 _"Where to, Lady Rayne? Lord Kayden?" the chauffeur that met them at the gates said, frowning when he saw the suitcases but he wasn't paid to ask questions so he said nothing._

 _"The airport and, please, Mark, don't tell Mom and Dad that we left," Kay said quietly._

" _Not that they'll care," Rayne muttered._

 _Mark nodded and said nothing as he opened the door for them before taking the suitcases. As Rayne and Kay slipped into the back of the limo, Mark put the suitcases into the trunk and then climbed into the driver's seat._

 _Rayne saw Kay glance over his shoulder at the manor that was gradually getting smaller behind them as Mark drove away but she said nothing, nor did she glance back once._

 **. . .**

 **12**

 **A Series of Reunions**

 _June 16, 2016_

 _Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11_

After the tragedy at Sapporo, Tadashi, his father, and his little brother had decided to move off Hokkaido and they came to the Tokyo Settlement. Even though his father was an Honorary Britannian, it was very difficult for him to get a decently paying job and he ended up working as a janitor at one of the clothing stores. Therefore, they only had enough to pay for a small apartment near the border between the settlement and the Shinjuku Ghetto.

Tadashi had taken the train from the Tokyo Military Base to the Shinjuku Ghetto as soon as morning dawned. As soon as the train came to a stop at the train station near the border, he climbed off it and immediately headed into the ghetto. He walked past the Elevens that were milling around, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket; he was dressed back in his normal clothes rather than the military uniform that he had been wearing for the past nine weeks. The rest of his stuff was back at the military base, which was where he was going to return after he spoke to his family.

The recently graduated recruits had some time to themselves to see family and friends and do whatever they wanted until they were given their posts. Almost everyone had gone back to spend time with their family and friends; as far as Tadashi knew, out of all of his friends, only Lila, Rayne, Kay, and Suzaku weren't going to spend time with their families. He didn't know why but that wasn't his business.

He felt rather proud of himself that he managed to finish basic training. He had proven that he could do it, despite everyone thinking that he wasn't taking the matter seriously, even when he was. And he had made friends while at the camp, including two very pretty ladies, and met another pretty lady who was also a princess.

Tadashi shivered at the memory of the death glare that Lelouch had given him when he had complimented Princess Euphemia, it was the same 'don't you dare get any ideas' glare that he had received when he called Lelouch's sister Nunnally 'hot'. He never made that mistake again.

By nature, Tadashi was a flirt but he was not stupid enough to get on the bad side of an overprotective older brother.

He neared the street where his family's small house was and made his way toward it. Walking over to the house, Tadashi pulled out his key and unlocked the door before slipping into the house. "Hey, anyone home?" he called.

"Big Brother! You're back!" A shout sounded.

"Oof!" That was the only thing Tadashi could say as he found himself knocked back against the door by his overexcited younger brother who wrapped him in a tight hug. "Yeah, Fuyuki, I'm back. You knew that I'd be coming home soon."

Fuyuki Akiyama released him and stepped back with a sheepish smile, his dirty blonde hair falling into his face. "Yeah, I forgot," he said.

"You'd forget your own head if it weren't attached, kid," Tadashi said, ruffling his younger brother's hair.

Fuyuki scowled and swatted his hand away. "Stop that," he said. "So how was training?"

"Tiring but I got through it," Tadashi said. "Is Dad home?"

"He went out to get some groceries but he should be back soon," Fuyuki said. "So tell me about training."

Tadashi chuckled but nodded and the two brothers headed over to the couch before sitting down while Tadashi talked about what happened the past nine weeks, including about the friends that he had made.

"Two of 'em were pretty girls at that; Lila has a kind of no-nonsense serious attitude and often scolded me for not acting professional, though she did calm down as the training went on. Rayne, on the other hand, is temperamental; she actually slapped one of the other girls that we were training with twice," Tadashi mused.

Fuyuki raised an eyebrow. "Reminds me of Mom," he said with a small sad smile at the mention of their late mother.

"And you," Tadashi said.

"I'm not temperamental," Fuyuki protested.

"You can be," Tadashi said with a grin.

Fuyuki huffed. "So what about the others that you met?" he asked.

"Well, Dimitri's like Lila and Kay's a quiet bookworm. Suzaku's an Honorary Britannian like me but he's easy to get along with. Then there's Prince Lelouch," Tadashi mused.

"Wait, you met a _prince_?"

"And a princess but that's another story. But, yeah, Lelouch was training with us and he was actually an all right guy, nothing like what one would expect of royalty. He treated us normally and never acted like he was superior to us," Tadashi said.

"Well, we both know that not all Britannians are bad. I guess the prince has just been added to that list," Fuyuki said.

The door clicked open at that moment and Fuyuki jumped up as their dad, Hachiro, walked into the living room, carrying a couple of bags of groceries on his arms. Fuyuki joined his father and immediately began helping to carry the groceries to the kitchen as Tadashi stood up.

"Tadashi, welcome home," Hachiro said as Tadashi walked over to help.

Tadashi smiled. "Glad to be home. I doubt I'm gonna be able to stay for long though. I'm gonna be assigned to my post soon," he said.

"At least we'll be able to spend some time together before you have to leave," Hachiro said. "I was thinking of making breakfast for dinner tonight. What do you say to that?"

"Anything's better than what we had to eat during training," Tadashi said with a grimace as he carried the rest of the groceries into the kitchen and placed them on the table.

"Then how about eggs, bacon, and pancakes?" Hachiro said.

"Sounds good to me!"

Fuyuki chuckled. "You never say no to pancakes," he said.

"Who in their right mind would say no to pancakes?" Tadashi asked in confusion. Pancakes were the best breakfast food to ever be invented, in Tadashi's opinion anyway. "Do we have any melons?"

Fuyuki, who was putting the eggs and bacon that their dad had brought into the fridge, glanced at him. "We still have some cantaloupe," he said.

"Awesome."

 **. . .**

 _Duncan Manor, Osaka Settlement_

Dimitri walked into the manor behind his parents, thinking about the damage that had been done to the ghettos as well as the edge of the city. He knew that it had been caused by the terrorist attack by the Crimson Sakuras at the end of February.

The maids gathered around them and Dimitri's parents were quick to give them a few orders, such as fixing Dimitri's favorite, chicken parmesan with fettucine alfredo, for dinner. "We have something to celebrate," Dimitri's father, Lord Eric Duncan, said with a proud smile after he gave the orders out.

"We are very proud of you, Dimitri," Dimitri's mother, Lady Diana Duncan, said with a smile as she pulled Dimitri into another hug. "We knew that you could do it. You have our blood in you and I know that you will make a wonderful soldier, fighting on the frontlines just like your father and I."

Dimitri hugged his mother back but said nothing. He didn't want that. He didn't want to be on the frontlines, he would prefer working behind the scenes, like as a navigator or anything involving a computer. Not only was he good with navigation but he was also very good with computers and that was what he wanted to do with his life.

However, his parents didn't know that about him. Dimitri didn't exactly tell them that he could hack into various places, that was not something that he wanted to become common knowledge since it wasn't exactly legal and something he only did if absolutely necessary. For example, there was one time when someone hacked into his family's security system to turn it off and he was able to not only trace the hacking job back to the person responsible but also turn the security system back on just in time to catch the assassins that were going after his parents.

However, he had hinted to his parents that he would rather be working as a navigator but they never really seemed to hear him when he said that. They thought that he would be better suited for the frontlines.

But maybe he should tell them about what he really wanted to do with his life now that he was done with basic training.

The three of them walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch.

"So do you know which regiment you'll be placed in, Dimitri?" Eric asked as he turned to his son.

"Not yet. It won't be for a couple of days," Dimitri said. He hesitated and then said, "Mother? Father? There's something I'd like to tell you."

"What is it, sweetie?" Diana asked, glancing at him.

"I know that I will likely have to fight on the frontlines but…I just wanted to say that I don't want that. I would prefer it if I could work from behind the scenes, like as a navigator or in the research and technological development department than fighting on the frontlines," he said.

Diana smiled patiently. "Sweetie, in order to do that, you have to have an extensive knowledge of computers and technology, something that one can only get after years of schooling beyond high school and definitely not something that one gets during basic training," she said.

Dimitri frowned but couldn't fault his mother's words, not entirely anyway. In order to work in the research and technological development department or even as a navigator, one needed to know more than what was taught in basic training. Many had to go to universities in order to gain that knowledge but, for Dimitri, he had taught himself. He supposed it wasn't the same thing but he didn't think it mattered how one gained knowledge, so long as they were willing to work to gain it.

He didn't say that though. "I suppose so. Maybe I will go to a university," he said.

"If you wish, though you won't be able to until after your term in the military is over with," Diana said. "Now then, why don't you tell us about the last nine weeks? How was training?"

So Dimitri spent the next hour, while they were waiting for dinner to be ready, telling his parents about his time in the military, including the acquaintances that he had made. When he told them about Prince Lelouch, though, they exchanged glances.

"So that's what happened to the Eleventh Prince after he was reintroduced to society after being missing for six years," Diana mused. "I had wondered since the Royal Family didn't release anything regarding him and Princess Nunnally after announcing their survival."

"I think it's good that he has joined the military," Eric said. "I remember when I first joined the military. I wasn't much older than Dimitri is now."

A maid walked into the living room before Eric could go down memory lane and bowed. "Lord and Lady Duncan, dinner is ready," she said.

"Thank you. You're dismissed," Diana said and stood up at the same time as Eric and Dimitri followed suit before following his parents into the dining room for dinner.

Later that day, Dimitri found himself in the library with a book opened on his lap. He also liked reading, though he preferred adventure novels to anything else. He also preferred the classics, hence why he was reading his worn-out copy of _The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin_ for the third time.

He paused in his reading when the door opened and a maid walked into the room, holding a phone in her hand. "You have a call, Lord Duncan," she said.

"Thank you," Dimitri said, saving his spot in his book and taking the phone. "Hello?"

" _Hey, Dimitri, been a long time,_ " a voice that Dimitri hadn't heard in years sounded over the phone.

He blinked. "Ella?" he said.

" _Oh, good, you remember me. I thought you'd forgotten about me since it's been so long since we last spoke,_ " the voice of Ella Weitz, a girl that Dimitri had befriended before he and his family had moved to Area 11 following its creation. She was the one who had gotten him into drawing, though he narrowed the focus to landmarks that he saw in real-life or on paper.

"It has been a while," he said.

" _Yup. So how've you been?"_

"I've been good. I just got done with basic training," Dimitri said.

" _You joined the military? I never expected you to do that,_ " Ella mused. " _I always thought you'd become a map drawer or a computer technician or something like that._ "

"I decided to go with the military," Dimitri said.

" _…Let me guess, it's 'cause of your parents,_ " Ella said and, before Dimitri could respond, she added, " _They want you to follow in their footsteps but don't ya think that you should do something that_ you _enjoy rather than what your parents want? I mean, it's your life. Look at me. Mom wanted me to become a stay-at-home housewife but I made the decision to become a journalist instead and Mom supported my decision when I told her about it._ "

"So you're going to be a journalist?" Dimitri asked.

" _Yeah. I've already got an internship lined up with the journalist Heather Quill but don't change the subject! We're talking about you here. Look, if ya don't wanna be in the military, you shouldn't be obliged to be in the military just to satisfy your parents. I mean, it's your life, you should get to choose how you want to live it,_ " Ella said firmly.

Dimitri sighed. "I know but I'm going to, at least, give it a try, Ella. Besides, I'm already committed at the moment so I'm gonna stick it out and see whether this is the life I want or not," he said.

" _I guess that's your own decision, though I still think you should've become a computer technician, considering how scarily good you are when it comes to computers,_ " Ella mused. " _Well, I have to go now. It's four in the morning over here and Mom isn't gonna be happy with me if she finds me awake and on the phone this early. Bye, Dimitri, and don't be a stranger! At least call every now and then._ "

Dimitri smiled a little. "I will, Ella, goodbye," he said and hung up. He handed the phone to the maid, who had patiently waited for him to finish, before returning his attention to his book, while thinking about his old friend's words.

 **. . .**

 _Mall, Tokyo Settlement_

Lila walked passed the various shops and restaurants that lay around her, studying the clothes that hung on display in the various clothing stores that she came across. She had come to the mall mostly for something to do, since she didn't exactly want to go home.

Her parents had found out about her signing up for the military one week after she had left for basic training, thanks to the help of a maid, and had been close to coming to the training camp itself and dragging her home kicking and screaming. However, in response to the letter they sent, she had told them point blank that she was sixteen and that she could take care of herself; she told them that she wanted to do this and that, since sixteen was the age in which Britannians were considered adults, they didn't have any say in her decision.

They had been furious with that but, at least, they didn't try to forcibly drag her out of training.

Lila sighed as she came to a stop outside of a clothing store and decided to take a look inside. She knew that her parents meant well but they were just so protective of her, coddling her like she was a fragile porcelain doll that could break if they let her out of their sight for more than a few minutes. She wasn't fragile, though, and she hated being coddled. However, she knew her parents only did that because she was their miracle child; they were told that they would never be able to have a child and, when she was born, they nearly lost her during the birthing process. That was why they were so protective of her.

She wandered past racks of clothing, tracing her fingers over them and pausing at a rack of dresses. Even if she wasn't a girly girl, like some of the girls that she had grown up with, she didn't mind wearing dresses, so long as it wasn't all the time.

She had a little money with her so she decided to see if she could find something to wear for when she wasn't working. She did have a few days to go before she would be assigned to her post after all and might as well be comfortable while enjoying the sights of the Tokyo Settlement. It was hot and jeans and a t-shirt were making it hotter.

Due to being coddled by her overprotective parents, Lila never had the chance to actually check out the sights of the Tokyo Settlement and she was going to take advantage of her free time to do that.

She finished looking at the dresses, finding a pretty peach-colored dress with thin straps and a high neckline. Fishing it out of the rack, she held it up against herself, noting that it looked like it would fit her and then headed for the fitting room.

Slipping out of the jeans and t-shirt she was wearing, Lila slipped the dress over her head, noting that it fell to just above her knees. She turned to look at herself in the full-length mirror as she moved the straps so that they rested on her shoulders. The dress fit her snugly and didn't show too much skin so she decided to get it.

She paid for the dress, deciding to wear it out of the store, and, after getting the tags and anti-theft device removed from it, walked out of the store, her old clothes stuffed into the bag that the cashier had given her for the dress. She started walking around again, scanning the store when a voice called out her name.

"Lila!"

She turned and frowned when she found her parents running towards her. _What're they doing here?_ Her parents rarely, if ever, came to the mall, deeming it too crowded for their tastes, hence why they always sent maids to do any shopping that needed to be done at the mall.

Her mother, Lucy, drew her into her arms as soon as she came within arm's reach. "I'm so glad you're all right," she said.

"Of course I'm all right, Mother," Lila said, her voice muffled since her face was pressed into her mother's chest. "I told you in my last letter that I was fine."

Her mother released her and frowned at her. "You shouldn't have joined the military, Lila. It's dangerous," she said sternly.

"I wanted to, Mother," Lila said, folding her arms across her chest. "I didn't want to become a doctor."

"Honey, being a doctor is a perfectly respectable position," her father, Caleb, said.

"Yeah but I just don't want to be a doctor." _At least not one in a hospital._

"You could be helping people…"

"So would being in the military and, this way, I would be protecting people so that they wouldn't have to go to the hospital," Lila said. She has always been interested in the military, ever since she had learned of her father's exploits as a member of the military before he left when her mother became pregnant with her. She had only heard those stories from her aunts and uncles though, despite her parents actively discouraging them from telling her those stories.

"I've already joined the military, Mother, Father, and I've already completed basic training. I'm committed now," Lila said.

"I'm sure we can pull some strings to…" Lucy began.

"You don't get it, Mother," Lila interrupted. "This is something that I want and I'm not going to back out now. This is my decision. I'm sixteen now and that means that I have the right to choose what I want to do with my life, even if you don't like it." She folded her arms across her chest and stared at her parents stubbornly.

Her parents were staring at her in surprise but Caleb sighed and stepped forward. "Are you sure this is what you want, Lila? The military isn't going to be easy. You will be fighting and you will run the risk of getting hurt, or even killed, whenever you get into an engagement. It is not for the faint-hearted."

"I'm not faint-hearted. I can do this, Father, and I want to do this," Lila said.

Caleb nodded his assent. "Very well, Lila. You've chosen what you want to do with your life and, while I don't like it, I can't stop you from fulfilling your commitment. Just be careful," he said while Lucy stared in shock at her husband.

"I will, Father," Lila said, relieved that her father had seen reason and was willing to support her decision.

"Caleb, what are you doing? We can't let Lila stay in the military. She's going to get hurt or killed!" Lucy exclaimed.

"It's her decision, Lucy dear, and she's sixteen now. She's old enough to make her own decisions," Caleb said.

"But…but…" Lucy was clearly at a loss of what to say.

"Let's head home, Lucy dear. Lila, do you want to come home with us?"

Lila smiled, relieved that her father was actually _asking_ her rather than demanding that she come home with them. "No, I want to explore Tokyo," she said.

"All right, just be careful."

"By the way, how did you know I was here?" Lila asked curiously since she doubted that they had just run into her on accident.

Caleb had the decency to look ashamed. "We tracked your phone, since I knew that you would be graduating from basic training yesterday. That was how your mother and I found out that you had joined the military and were in basic training," he said. "I'm sorry, Lila. It was wrong of us to do that."

Lila stared, stunned that they had gone _that_ far to keep an eye on her, but she did hear the sincerity in her father's voice when he voiced his apology. Still, it was an invasion of her privacy that they would do something like that. "Just…please don't do that again," she said.

"We won't," Caleb said and gently drew Lila into a hug before releasing her. "Enjoy your tour of the settlement. C'mon, Lucy dear." He gently guided his wife away, leaving Lila alone with her thoughts.

She pushed those thoughts away, musing that she really shouldn't be that surprised that her parents had tracked her as they had. It did sound like something they would do. She wasn't happy about it but at least her father had apologized for it so that was something.

Turning around, she continued her walk through the mall, deciding to finish exploring the mall before going out into the settlement itself.

 **. . .**

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

Milly made her way into the meeting room, noting that almost everyone had already gathered, including Nunnally who was smiling broadly as she chatted with Shirley. Milly knew why she was so happy; the day before had been Lelouch's graduation from basic training and that meant that he was likely going to visit her and the rest of the student council today. Milly had been the only one who was able to attend only because she had asked her grandfather if she could go and he agreed. The others hadn't thought to ask permission from their parents in order to go.

"So where's Kallen?" Milly asked.

"She's running late but she should be here soon," Shirley said.

As if on cue, the door opened and Kallen walked into it. "Sorry about that," she said.

"No problem, I just got here myself," Milly said brightly as Kallen took her seat.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Rivalz asked.

"Not much. Actually, I don't really have much planned for this meeting," Milly said with a shrug.

"Then why're we here?" Rivalz asked with a frown.

"'Cause Big Brother's gonna be stopping by today," Nunnally said.

"He is?" Kallen asked.

"Uh huh. That's what Euphie said when she called me before she left Area 11," Nunnally said. "Though I don't know when he's gonna get here."

"So that means you're gonna get your date tonight, eh, Shirley?" Milly said with a grin. "I certainly hope Lelouch likes the outfit you're gonna be wearing."

Shirley went red. "I…uh…I'm not entirely sure I should, ah, wear _that_ ," she said.

"Ah, c'mon, you look cute in it and he's _definitely_ gonna like it, especially since it fits you so perfectly and shows off your curves," Milly said with a big, perverted grin that was the reason why some people, and by some people she meant Lelouch, called her a perverted She-Devil.

Shirley's blush deepened. "M…Madam President!"

Milly laughed.

The door opened at that moment and Milly turned, smirking when Lelouch walked into the meeting room, dressed rather casually in a pair of dark blue jeans and a black shirt.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow at the smirk on Milly's face but, apparently, decided he didn't want to know as he wandered to Nunnally's side.

"Who just came in?" Nunnally asked.

"Guess who?" Lelouch said and Nunnally's face brightened up.

"Big Brother," she exclaimed happily, turning to face Lelouch and holding out her arms. Lelouch gently wrapped his arms around Nunnally's form, resting his chin on top of her head, as Nunnally's arms curled around his neck. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Little Sister," Lelouch replied.

Nunnally leaned back and smiled as she poked Lelouch's arms. "Whoa, I can actually feel muscles in your arms, Big Brother," she said.

"Oh, really?" Milly said with a large grin. "Why don't ya take off your shirt and show off those muscles of yours, Lelouch?"

Shirley looked about ready to pass out at the thought.

"No," Lelouch deadpanned.

"Ah, c'mon, I'm sure Shirley wouldn't mind seeing that," Milly said.

Shirley went red.

"No," Lelouch deadpanned.

Milly pouted. "You are such a spoilsport," she said.

"And you're a perverted She-Devil," Lelouch replied.

"And don't ya forget it."

Nunnally giggled. "Big Brother, is he with you?" she asked.

"He is and since he's being a _stubborn moron_ ,"—Lelouch glared at the door—"I guess I _will_ have to drag him in here. Excuse me." He turned and disappeared out of the meeting room. He came back in a moment later dragging a very uncomfortable-looking Suzaku Kururugi that Milly had met the day before behind him, granted it didn't really look like Suzaku was fighting him that much.

At the sight of the Eleven, Nina shrank away, scooting so that she was hidden by her computer, her indigo eyes behind her glasses wide with fear.

"Lelouch! Did you really have to drag me in here?" Suzaku protested and Milly saw Nunnally's face brighten again at the sound of the Eleven's voice.

"Would you have come in otherwise?" Lelouch said dryly as he released the other boy.

His silence answered that question.

"Suzaku?" Nunnally said.

Suzaku turned to Nunnally and smiled before moving to Nunnally's side, gently taking her hand, much to the shock of the rest of the Student Council, except Milly, who already knew of the friendship between Lelouch and Suzaku, and Kallen who just looked confused. "It's me, Nunnally. It's good to see you again," Suzaku said.

"It's so good to see you again too, Suzaku. I thought we'd never see you again after we separated! But when Big Brother told me that he and you were training together, I was so happy," Nunnally said with a bright smile.

"Yeah, I was shocked to find Lelouch there, considering the last time I saw him, he had less stamina than a snail," Suzaku said and Nunnally laughed while Lelouch scowled at the reminder.

"So, Lelouch, aren't you going to introduce us?" Milly asked as Suzaku released Nunnally's hand and stood up, looking uncomfortable again.

Lelouch shrugged. "You already know him, Milly. This is Suzaku Kururugi, an old friend of mine from when we came to Area 11 before the invasion," he said.

Milly did already knew him since she had met him at the graduation ceremony the day before and the last name _Kururugi_ was what told her all she needed to know. According to Lelouch, when he and Nunnally had been made political hostages, it was with Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi and his family that they had been placed.

"Well, you already know who I am, Suzaku," Milly said.

"I'm Shirley," Shirley said with a friendly smile as she stood up and held out a hand to Suzaku who took it and shook it in greeting.

"I'm Rivalz, nice to meet ya," Rivalz said.

Nina just shied away and avoided looking at Suzaku. Milly blinked sympathetically at her and Lelouch made his way to Nina's side.

"It's all right, Nina," Lelouch said reassuringly. "Suzaku isn't going to hurt you. I trust him, as you saw when I allowed him to be near Nunnally."

Nina swallowed but nodded and turned to Suzaku. "I…I'm Nina," she said quietly, ducking her head when Suzaku turned to her.

"It's nice to meet you, Nina," he said politely, though he kept his distance, probably noticing that Nina was still scared of him.

"I'm Kallen," Kallen said as Suzaku turned his attention to the last member of the council who had yet to introduce herself while Lelouch made his way back to Nunnally's side.

Suzaku repeated his greeting to her as well.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, why don't we break out the snacks and throw ourselves a little 'welcome home' party?" Milly suggested.

"Sounds good to me. We should bust out the champagne," Rivalz said with a grin.

"Rivalz! We're underage. We can't drink that," Shirley protested.

"But this is a special occasion! Lelouch didn't die from too much exercise during basic training."

"Thanks for that, Rivalz, really, and shut up, Suzaku," Lelouch said, adding the last part when Suzaku started snickering.

"I still say Lelouch should take off his shirt and show us his muscles," Milly said with a grin.

"No," Lelouch deadpanned.

Milly pouted.

 **. . .**

 _Park, Tokyo Settlement_

Kay and Rayne were wandering the Tokyo Settlement without a real destination in mind. They had gone back to Ethan's home soon after the reception after the graduation ceremony ended and had decided to walk around the settlement in the morning. They had already explored the settlement rather thoroughly during the last year but they really couldn't think of what else to do.

"So when are we going to be given our posts again?" Rayne asked, turning around so that she was walking backwards a few feet in front of Kay.

"I don't know. I think Monday," Kay said.

"So what the heck are we supposed to do for four days?"

Kay shrugged. "Almost everyone is just visiting family or friends and Ethan should be back from Narita tomorrow morning," he said.

"True." Rayne let out a yelp as she tripped over something and went tumbling into a bush in the park that they had been walking alongside.

Kay's lips quirked as he gazed at the dazed Rayne. "Have a nice trip?" he asked.

"Haha, how original, moron. Now help me up," Rayne said with a scowl.

Kay chuckled but held out a hand and gently pulled his twin out of the bush. She dusted herself off, muttering about how glad she was that it wasn't a rose bush.

A _bark_ sounded and Kay and Rayne turned to find a large chestnut brown dog bounding over to join them. Rayne's face brightened. "Aww, you're so cute," she gushed, stretching out a hand toward the dog. The dog sniffed it and then rubbed his muzzle against it and Rayne giggled before petting the dog.

"He must've gotten free from his owner," Kay said, noting that there was a leash attached to the dog's collar.

"Let's see who you are," Rayne said, kneeling in front of the dog and gently lifting up the name tag. "Chestnut. Hmm, interesting name. All right, Chestnut. Let's see if we can find your owners." She stood up and gently took the leash before walking in the direction the dog had come in.

Kay trailed after her.

They found the young couple to whom the dog belonged near the heart of the park. The young couple smiled in relief when Rayne and Kay, with Chestnut walking in front of them, came within sight. "Chestnut! Oh thank goodness you're all right," the girl said, running to join the two teenagers and the dog. She knelt down and gently petted the dog while the guy came to a stop at his girlfriend's side.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," Rayne said, handing the leash to the guy who took it and nodded before he, his girlfriend, and the dog walked away after the girlfriend expressed her own gratitude.

"Well, that killed all of five minutes. Now what?" Rayne said.

"Rayne? Kayden?"

Rayne's face went cold while Kay frowned as a very familiar woman walked over to join them from behind Rayne. She was tall with a muscular body, short-cropped dark-blue hair and dark-blue eyes. She was dressed in a military uniform with the bars and silver epaulettes that marked her as a Lieutenant Colonel.

"Is it who I think it is?" Rayne asked, not bothering on turning around.

"It is," Kay said.

"Wonderful." The sarcasm was practically dripping from Rayne's voice.

"Hello Gretchen," Kay greeted his eldest sister politely.

Gretchen Frost narrowed her eyes as she folded her arms across her chest. "Hello? That's all I get after worrying about you for over a year? Parker, Matthias, Mom, Dad, and I were all frantic when we found out you were missing without so much as a note or a phone call to tell us where you'd gone, or that you were okay! We thought you'd been kidnapped."

"Like Mom and Dad would've cared," Rayne sneered, still not looking at Gretchen.

"Of course they would've cared," Gretchen protested.

Rayne snorted in disbelief.

"What are you doing in Area 11, Gretchen?" Kay asked.

His eldest sister turned to him. "I was reassigned to Area 11 but don't change the subject, Kayden. Have you been in Area 11 this entire time?" she demanded.

"What's it to you?" Rayne shot back scornfully.

"I don't know what I've done to earn such hostility, Rayne," Gretchen said with a frown.

"If you don't know then there's no point in me telling you," Rayne said.

Gretchen sighed but said nothing to that. "Mom and Dad are going to be relieved to know that you're all right," she said. "I should call them. I'm sure they'll want you to come home as soon as possible."

"That's not gonna happen," Rayne spat. "I'm seventeen, which means I don't have to do a damn thing that they say anymore and good riddance."

"Rayne…"

"No. Mom and Dad never cared about Kay and me. They always ignored us and even admitted that they didn't want any more kids after Parker was born! Why do you think I was constantly getting into trouble? I thought it would make them pay attention to me. I thought that if they would take the time to actually scold me and tell me what I did was wrong then it would show that they cared. But you know what they did? Nothing. Not a _fucking_ thing! They told the _maids_ to handle my punishment. They didn't even care enough to punish me themselves! The maids were more parents to me and Kay than Mom and Dad ever were!"

"Rayne…" Gretchen began again.

"Did you know that they were going to arrange a marriage for me? They didn't even take into account what _I_ wanted," Rayne interrupted angrily, whirling around to glare at their eldest sister. "What if I wanted to go into politics? What if I wanted to go to the university? What if I wanted to join the military? They never cared enough to ask me what _I_ wanted and decided to just give me away like I was just a gift to be handed off to some random noble!"

Gretchen looked shocked. "I'm sure Mom and Dad wouldn't really do that," she said.

"Mom said that's what she would do. 'It'd be better for our name if she gets married off.' That was exactly what Mom said almost eight years ago. I remember those words to this day, I can't get them out of my head because they're proof that Mom doesn't care about what I want, she only cares about the family name! And I got sick and tired of it! That's why I left without telling anyone. Because I was sick and tired of the neglect and of being treated like a commodity, like my own feelings didn't matter!"

Rayne turned around and stormed off without another word, kicking at the ground with her hands stuffed into the pocket of her pants.

Kay watched her go and then turned to Gretchen. "I left for the same reason as she did, mostly. I didn't like living in a place where I was ignored by my own parents so I won't be going back, even if Mom and Dad want me to. Rayne and I are part of the military now, Gretchen, and we will likely be stationed here in Area 11 and that's fine by us."

"You two joined the military?" Gretchen said surprised.

"Yes, because both of us felt that we could find ourselves in the military and prove that we are not _worthless children who would_ _never amount to anything_ ," Kay said softly, his own hurt in his voice since he could still remember the day he had heard those words come out of his parents' mouths.

"Kayden, you're not worthless…" Gretchen began.

"Mom and Dad seemed to think so," Kay said. "And it's Kay, Gretchen. I go by Kay now. I have to go."

Gretchen swallowed, looking rather distressed, but she nodded. "You two are seventeen now. No one has any say in what you do now but…just know that I do care about you, both of you. So do Parker and Matthias. Even if we never got the chance to really show it, we do care about you."

Kay gazed at Gretchen, searching her face but could see only sincerity. He smiled softly but said nothing.

"If you're in the military now, do you know where you'll be assigned yet?" Gretchen asked.

"Not yet. We will most likely know by Monday. We just graduated from basic training yesterday."

Gretchen smiled a little. "If I had known, I would have gone to your graduation. Maybe you'll be placed in the 11th Regiment. That's where I was reassigned," she said.

"Maybe."

 **. . .**

 _Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement_

Shirley looked at herself in the mirror, biting her lip as she turned around in the green dress that she was wearing. It fit her form perfectly, accentuating her curves—just as Milly said it would—and flowing down to just above her knees. The straps were thin like spaghetti noodles but, at least, the neckline didn't reveal much of her cleavage. When she had first seen the dress Milly had picked out for her, Shirley had thought it would be a bit _too_ revealing but, now that she was actually wearing it, she realized it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

"And now we just need to fix up your hair," Milly said cheerfully as she guided Shirley over to the chair and sat her down. "I'm thinking we keep it down. That's simple enough but maybe a few clips to keep your hair out of your face."

"Is this really necessary, Milly? It's one date, it's not like I'm going to prom or something," Shirley said, blushing a little at the mention of the date. She still couldn't believe that this was happening; she was _actually_ going on an _actual date_ with Lelouch, with the boy she has been crushing on for years. It was like a dream and she found she didn't want to wake up from it.

She also had to hope that she wouldn't make a mess of it. She always did get very flustered around Lelouch and hoped that wouldn't happen during the date.

"Of course it's necessary, Shirley. You've gotta make a good first impression, eh? How else are ya gonna be his girlfriend?" Milly said, running the brush through Shirley's hip-length orange hair.

"G…Girlfriend? I…It's only one date! A…Anyway, he's a prince and I'm just…me. He would never choose me to be his girlfriend," Shirley said.

"You don't know that. Don't be so pessimistic. He agreed to the date, didn't he?" Milly pointed out.

"I…I guess so," Shirley said nervously. She didn't hold any hopes that this one date could turn into something more. While she would like to someday call herself Lelouch's girlfriend, she knew that it was unlikely to happen, especially after finding out that her crush was a prince. A prince wouldn't date a commoner. It just didn't happen.

Milly finished brushing her hair and then turned her around so that she was facing her. "Look, Shirley, I know I tease you and all but I do want you to have a good time and don't let such thoughts ruin your time. He will always be the Lulu that you became friends with. It doesn't matter that he's a prince, he's still Lulu, remember that."

Shirley swallowed but nodded. "You're right," she said softly because Milly was right. Lelouch hadn't started to treat her or Milly or the rest of the Student Council any differently when his royal heritage was revealed. He was still the Lulu that Shirley had become friends with and started crushing on.

"And if you're nervous, here's another piece of advice," Milly said, fetching two clips from Shirley's vanity and gently clipping her hair so that it was out of her face but allowing a few locks of orange hair to fall over her shoulder. "Be yourself and have fun."

Shirley smiled a little and stood up. "Thank you, Milly," she said and walked over to her bed. She sat down and began pulling on the green wedge heels, strapping them on and then standing up. "How do I look?"

"Beautiful," Milly said with a grin.

Shirley blushed. "T…Thank you," she said.

"Lelouch should be showing up soon. Let's go. I'll walk ya to the gates," Milly said.

"Okay."

The two of them left Shirley's dorm and headed across campus toward the main gates. The sun was starting to sink beyond the horizon and, while the campus wasn't as active around that time, there were still some students who were milling around. All of them spotted Shirley and murmured to each other, looking confused, but quickly went about their business by a stern glare from Milly.

"The last thing we want is for someone to see you with Lelouch and spill the beans to the media," Milly muttered.

"Y…Yeah, that wouldn't be good," Shirley said.

They reached the gates to find a limo already parked outside with Lelouch leaning against it. He was dressed in a suit and tie, which made Shirley wonder just where they were going to dinner. He straightened up when he saw Shirley, his eyes widening a little when he caught sight of her.

Milly chuckled. "Damn, I wish I'd brought my camera. It isn't every day that Lelouch is shocked speechless," she said. She paused for a moment and added, "Maybe I can run back to the clubhouse and grab it before you leave."

Lelouch pulled himself out of his shock at that and said flatly, "You wouldn't get back in time. Our reservation's for eight thirty so we really have to get going."

Without waiting for Milly to respond, Lelouch turned to Shirley and held out a hand. "You look beautiful, Shirley," he said with a genuine smile.

Shirley blushed but took Lelouch's hand in hers, her blush deepening when Lelouch brought her hand to his lips and gently kissed the back of it. "T…Thank you," she stammered out.

"Aww, you're a natural, Lelouch, even if this is your first date," Milly gushed.

Lelouch gave Milly a dry look but said nothing to that as he turned to Shirley. "Shall we?" he said.

Shirley nodded slowly and followed Lelouch as he led her to the limo. The chauffeur opened the door and Shirley climbed into the limo with Lelouch just behind her. "So where are we going, Lulu?" she asked as the door closed and the chauffeur moved to the driver's seat.

"I had to really think about it, since I wanted a place where we could have some privacy and I won't be mobbed by the media should they get wind of this," Lelouch said.

"You think they will?" Shirley asked.

"It's possible."

"So where're we going?"

"You'll see."

 **. . .**

 _Blue Haven Restaurant, Tokyo Settlement_

The Blue Haven Restaurant was a seafood restaurant located at the very heart of the Tokyo Settlement next to a park. It was done in a myriad of different shades of blue with gentle instrumental music playing in the background. There were round tables and booths scattered across the first floor of the restaurant as well as outside on the patio but there were also tables on the second floor and on a balcony that jutted out over the patio that offered a beautiful view of the park.

"I've heard of this place. It's usually really hard to get a reservation and it's really expensive," Shirley said, glancing at Lelouch as he led her into the restaurant.

"You forget who I am, Shirley," Lelouch said with an amused sidelong glance as he walked over to the hostess, Shirley's arm hooked in his. She was fighting to suppress the blush at how close she was to her crush.

The hostess looked up and smiled. "Hello, Your Highness," she greeted Lelouch. "Table for two on the balcony in the private section, yes?"

"Yes," Lelouch said.

The hostess fetched two menus and then stepped out from behind the hostess stand. "This way," she said and led the way to the stairs that would take them to the second floor.

The hostess led them passed a few tables on the floor and passed the glass doors onto a small area of the balcony in which there was a small circular table resting on which was a set of silverware, a basket of bread, and two glasses next to the sets of silverware.

The hostess placed the menus on the table as Lelouch pulled out Shirley's chair for her. She blushed, thanked him, and sat down. He nodded and took a seat across from her.

"Your server will be right with you," the hostess said and walked away

She was replaced a moment later by a young man. "Hello, my name's Steven and I'll be your server for today. Would you like something to drink to start off?" he said.

"Um, an iced tea with lemon would be fine," Shirley said.

"I'll have the same," Lelouch said.

Steven nodded. "I will be right back with that, Your Highness, ma'am," he said with a slight bow and walked away.

Shirley opened her menu and began scanning the options. "What's it like being a prince? Um, I mean, you've always been a prince, I just mean, ah…" She broke off, blushing in embarrassment at her attempt to start up a conversation.

"It's taken some getting used to again," Lelouch admitted, scanning the food items on the menu. "Go ahead and order whatever you want. I think I might go with the lobster. I haven't had that in a long time, not since Mother made it for me and Nunnally and told me to eat it or go to bed hungry."

Shirley chuckled at that. "Yeah, Mom and Dad's done that to me too when I was being stubborn and wouldn't eat what they cooked for me when I was younger," she said.

"I think that's happened with everyone at one point," Lelouch commented nonchalantly as the server came back and placed their teas with lemons as well as a pair of straws on the table. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Your Highness. Are you ready to order?" the server asked.

"Shirley?" Lelouch said, turning to Shirley who went back to scanning the menu.

"Ah, I think I'll go with the Filet Mignon," Shirley said.

The server nodded and wrote that down before turning to Lelouch. "And you, Your Highness?"

"I'll go with the Grilled Rock Lobster," Lelouch said.

The server wrote that down as well. "That will be out soon, Your Highness, ma'am. Would you care for some appetizers while you wait?" he asked as he took the menus.

"Some fried calamari sounds good," Shirley said.

"We'll go with that," Lelouch said.

"All right. I'll bring an order out," the server said and left.

"So what's happened at Ashford since I left?" Lelouch asked. "Nunnally told me about the bake sale and the fairy-tale-themed ball."

"Well, those are the major things that have happened," Shirley admitted, sipping at her ice tea. "Nunnally helped with the decorations for the fairy-tale-themed ball and everyone really liked it. I saw people dressed up as princesses, knights, witches, the big bad wolf from _Little Red Riding Hood_ , and so many others."

"What'd you go as?" Lelouch asked curiously, sipping at his own tea.

"A fairy godmother. Milly made the outfits," Shirley said and blushed.

Lelouch blinked in understanding sympathy since he knew just as well as Shirley of just what Milly was like.

"But I had fun," Shirley said with a small smile.

"That's good."

The server came back with a plate of fried calamari before walking off again and Shirley picked up one of the pieces with her fork before eating it. "Fried calamari is my favorite kind of seafood," she admitted.

"Personally, I like halibut and lobster," Lelouch admitted.

"Yeah, those are good too," Shirley said, amazed by how easy it came to her to talk with Lelouch. She would usually get flustered whenever she tried to tell him how she felt and yet here she was chatting normally with him.

 _I suppose Milly's advice on just being myself really is working,_ she thought.

Their main meal came at that moment and they spent the next thirty minutes chatting about Lelouch's exploits during basic training while they ate.

"So she really slapped her?" Shirley asked.

"Twice," Lelouch said. "The first time, I felt she deserved it but then that was because she was badmouthing my mother. The second time, though, Rayne just lost her temper. Kay pointed out that it could have been worse and Rayne could've broken Vivienne's jaw."

"Wouldn't she have gotten into trouble for that?" Shirley asked.

"She ran the risk of get discharged. I'm sure if the Drill Sergeant had witnessed the first time Rayne slapped Vivienne, she probably would have been the second time around," Lelouch said, swallowing a bite of his lobster.

They finished dinner about fifteen minutes later and headed toward the entrance, only for the hostess to meet them at the door. "Ah, Your Highness," she said. "It might be best if you took the back way. I've already told your driver to meet you there."

"Why?" Lelouch asked.

"Someone let slip to the media that you were here tonight and there're reporters outside," the hostess said apologetically.

Lelouch swore irritably. "This was what I was hoping to not deal with," he muttered and thanked the hostess before following her as she led the way to the back of the restaurant and Shirley walked after him, wondering who told the media and why.

 **. . .**

 _En Route to Ashford Academy_

"Sorry about that," Lelouch said once they were on their way back to Ashford Academy, having left through the back exit of the Blue Haven Restaurant to avoid the media.

"It's okay, it's not like it's your fault," Shirley said with a reassuring smile. "I bet you've had the media hounding you a lot since, well, the museum…" She trailed off, shivering at the memory of seeing Lelouch get shot protecting Nunnally.

She felt a hand on hers and turned to find Lelouch giving her a gentle, reassuring smile.

"They've been leaving me alone actually but that could be because I've been avoiding them like the plague during the time between when I got back from Pendragon to when I left for basic training," he admitted.

"I can understand why," Shirley said with a faint smile as the limo rounded a corner. "So what will happen now? Are you going to be staying in the settlement?"

"Probably. I already know which regiment I'm taking command of and they're based in this settlement at the moment," Lelouch said.

"That's good. So you'll come by and visit?"

"Of course."

Shirley smiled. "Great, I'm looking forward to your next visit." She blushed and added quickly, "Ah, I mean, I'm sure all of us are looking forward to your next visit, not just me."

"I'll try and come by as often as I can," Lelouch assured her.

Shirley smiled.

 **. . .**

 _Ashford Academy_

Once they reached the school, it was already dark and stars glittered in the black sky above. Lelouch climbed out of the limo as soon as the chauffeur opened the door and held out a hand to Shirley. She took it and climbed out of the limo and the chauffeur closed the door behind her.

"I had good time tonight, Lulu," Shirley said shyly as Lelouch guided her to the gates, telling the chauffeur to wait for him, and led the way onto the campus.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Shirley," Lelouch said, leading the way over to the girl's dorm and Shirley smiled, glad that Lelouch was taking the time to escort her to her dorm. Despite the fact that she could have walked herself, it was dark and she felt more comfortable walking with someone else in the dark.

They came to a stop outside of the girl's dormitory and Shirley turned to Lelouch, biting her lip. "Um, maybe we could do this again sometime? Ah, if you want that is, I mean, if you don't want to, I understand," she said a bit too quickly.

Lelouch blinked at her. "If you want, we can do this again sometime," he said.

Shirley's cheeks were red but she nodded, smiling. "I'd really like that," she said softly. She hesitated again and then leaned forward and kissed Lelouch on the cheek, causing the prince to blink in surprise.

She blushed when she realized what she did. "Ah, have a goodnight, Lulu!" She said and bolted into the girl's dormitory, her face as red as a tomato as she ran. She couldn't believe she had actually _kissed_ Lelouch, even if it was on the cheek, still!

 **. . .**

Meanwhile, outside of the girl's dormitory, Lelouch watched as Shirley bolted into the girl's dormitory, half-surprised by the sudden kiss and half-bemused by Shirley's reaction afterward. His hand went to his cheek, which was covered by a light blush, and a small smile crossed his lips.

A flash of light followed by an "aww, how sweet" sounded behind him.

Lelouch jumped and whirled around to find Milly standing behind him with a camera in one hand and a smirk on her face. "How long have you been standing there?" Lelouch asked with a frown.

"I've been waiting for you two to come back for about fifteen minutes now. And now I got evidence that you actually know how to blush! I honestly didn't think you knew how," Milly said with a cheerful grin.

Lelouch rolled his eyes at the busty blonde. "Really, Milly? I doubt that's the real reason why you waited here," he said.

"Well, not really," Milly admitted, tucking the camera away and folding her arms across her chest. "I also wanted to know how the date went. I'm gonna ask Shirley later. So?"

"It went well, before the media showed up anyway," Lelouch said.

"Oh?" Milly raised an eyebrow.

"Some idiot let slip that Shirley and I were at the Blue Haven Restaurant and we had to sneak out the back way to avoid getting seen."

"One date and you're already sneaking around, eh? You sure are growing up, Lulu," Milly said with a grin.

Lelouch glared at the obvious implication of Milly's words and shook his head, deciding against responding to that. "I'd best be getting back," he said.

"Are you staying on the base?" Milly asked.

"No. Clovis told me that I could stay at the Viceroy's Palace until I, officially, get my assignment. I'll come by and see everyone tomorrow if I can," Lelouch said.

"Oh? You sure you don't wanna just see your girlfriend?" Milly said.

Lelouch rolled his eyes again. "Only you would think one date makes Shirley my girlfriend," he said. "And, no, she's not."

"But someday? I hope so anyway. You could use another girl in your life."

"So you said in one of Nunnally's letters to me. I'll see you later, Milly. Goodnight."

"Night, Lulu. Have pleasant dreams of your future girlfriend, and maybe more than simply _pleasant_ dreams of her."

"Milly!"

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: and that was chapter 12! Nineteen pages, over 10,000 words. I'd say it was a good chapter**

 **Kallen: yeah. By the way, where're Lelouch, Jeremiah, and Suzaku?**

 **Blaze: ...I honestly have no clue. Bakura?**

 **Bakura: oh they're surrounded by Britannian soldiers wielding Real Solid Vision Duel Disks**

 **Blaze: who the _hell_ gave those assholes _Real Solid Vision Duel Disks?!_**

 **Bakura: Yami Marik**

 **Blaze: damn it, Melvin!**

— **Meanwhile, surrounded by Britannian soldiers wielding Real Solid Vision Duel Disks—**

 **Lelouch: (activates Real Solid Vision Duel Disk and summons Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon) let's go, bitches! Bring it on!**

 **Jeremiah: (activates Real Solid Vision Duel Disk and summons Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon) I'll kick all of your asses!**

 **Suzaku: (activates Real Solid Vision Duel Disk and summons Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon) damn it, Jeremiah! That was what I was going to say!**

— **Back in the computer room—**

 **Kallen: shouldn't we help them or something?**

 **Blaze: (glances out the window in time to see Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon, and Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon lay waste to the Britannian soldiers) nah, they've got it taken care of. I don't own _Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged_ or _Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC V Abridged_. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	13. The 11th Regiment

**Well, here is the long awaited (glances at last update date) October 25th? Huh, I thought more time had passed by. So I guess not as long awaited as I thought. Eh, whatever. Considering I've been busy with school, watching anime (I just finished binge-watching _Noragami_ and am in the process of watching _Noragami Aragoto,_ _-man,_ and _Kekkai Sensen_ ), and writing my own original stories, I'm honestly surprised I'm updating in less than a month.**

 **Bakura: I believe everyone is. Aren't you planning on updating a story you last updated in January and another story that you haven't updated since March of 2014?**

 **Well, for the first story you mentioned, I'm about a quarter of the way through the chapter, while, for the second story, I'm still stuck on how to continue it so...yeah, I _might_ update those stories before Christmas...keyword: might**

 **Bakura: that's usually the case when it comes to you, foolish mortal**

 **Oh shut up, Bakura. Anyway...**

 **Thank you to _ewertondragon, Demons Anarchy of Pride,_ _Darrenshan1234, OBSERVER01, davycrockett100, DYnoJackal19,_ _MasterDangel, F.C.C.S, Shimmering-Sky, B-Kira, Trife, god of all, Doommajor, Scarease,_ and _Shadow-Shinobi666_ for reviewing the last chapter and thank you to _Td03_ for reviewing Chapter 3.**

 **I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _August 10, 2012_

 _Tokyo Military Base, Tokyo Settlement_

 _Jeremiah Gottwald made his way down the corridor of the Tokyo Military Base, looking around at the various soldiers that were gathered around him who saluted him as he walked by. He had just been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the 11_ _th_ _Regiment, the regiment he had become a part of when he transferred to Area 11 a year following its formation, and everyone knew who he was._

 _Today, he was going to observe a few new recruits who were to join the 11_ _th_ _Regiment. Though he wasn't the one in charge of the regiment, Brigadier General Stromberg had insisted that all of his high-ranked officers be present._

 _He joined Stromberg, the aging gray-haired commander of the 11_ _th_ _Regiment, along with one of his old buddies from the Imperial Military Academy who had been transferred to Area 11 only a couple of months ago._

 _"'Bout time you showed up, Jeremiah," Major Kewell Soresi said with a teasing smirk. He was a tall man with short light-brown hair and blue eyes._

 _"I happen to be on time, Kewell," Jeremiah retorted._

 _They both fell silent at the stern glare from Stromberg. Stromberg stepped forward as the newest additions to the 11_ _th_ _Regiment came forward and Jeremiah scanned them as Stromberg began to speak. His eyes landed on a familiar dark-skinned woman with long silver hair in a tight ponytail._

 _"Kewell, is that who I think it is?" he whispered to his friend, gesturing to the silverette._

 _Kewell followed his gaze and his eyes softened just a fraction but he nodded. "I'm sure it is. Looks like Villetta got transferred to Area 11 too," he said._

 _A soldier came running into the hall where the soldiers were gathered and saluted. "Sir, terrorists have struck in the Saitama Ghetto. Prince Clovis and General Andon have asked you and the 11_ _th_ _Regiment to handle the matter."_

 _"Very well. Listen up," Stromberg said, directing his attention to the newcomers. "We do not have time for you to adjust or get acquainted just yet. We have a fight ahead of us. Get ready to depart for battle in fifteen minutes. Dismissed!"_

 _"Yes, sir!" The newcomers all said at once._

 _As they moved to get their gear in order, Jeremiah made his way through the crowd toward the silverette with Kewell just behind him. "Well, I didn't expect to see you here, Villetta," he said._

 _Villetta Nu turned and smiled in greeting. "I was expecting you to be here, Jeremiah, but I wasn't expecting Kewell," she said. She and Kewell were the only ones that knew of Jeremiah requesting a transfer to Area 11 following Empress Marianne's assassination but Villetta was the only one who knew why._

 _"I got transferred here a couple of months ago," Kewell said. "I was going to tell you but it happened quickly and I forgot once I got here."_

 _"It's okay," Villetta said. "I certainly wasn't expecting to actually fight as soon as I got here though."_

 _"Terrorists are always very active on the anniversary of the start of the invasion," Jeremiah admitted. "They attacked last year on this day too."_

 _"I see."_

 _Jeremiah, Kewell, and Villetta finished getting ready and gathered with the rest of the soldiers as Stromberg strode in front of them._

 _"Our task is simple. Take out the terrorist that cropped up in the Saitama Ghetto. Further orders will be given once we reach the point of insertion. Let's head out," Stromberg said._

 _"Sir, yes, sir!"_

 **. . .**

 **13**

 **The 11th Regiment**

 _June 17, 2016_

 _Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement_

Jeremiah made his way down the corridor of the Viceroy's Palace, heading for Prince Clovis's office, his thoughts on the news that had been given to the entire 11th Regiment earlier that day. Apparently, Brigadier General Stromberg was retiring and the regiment was to get a new commanding officer on Monday. However, no one knew who the new commander was or, if they did, they weren't telling anyone.

Jeremiah doubted it was that latter reason. Due to his position as leader of the Purist Faction and second in command to Stromberg, he should know who was to take Stromberg's place. All he knew was that the person had to be pretty important and high-ranking because, otherwise, as Stromberg's second in command, Jeremiah would have been given command.

 _Just who is taking Stromberg's place?_ He wondered silently.

He reached Prince Clovis's office and knocked on the door.

"Enter," Prince Clovis's voice called and Jeremiah stepped into the office, freezing momentarily when he saw that the prince wasn't alone.

Prince Lelouch, who was seated in front of Prince Clovis's desk, cast a sidelong glance at him as Jeremiah forced himself to unfreeze and step deeper into the room.

"Ah, Margrave Gottwald, welcome," Prince Clovis greeted Jeremiah. "Please, take a seat."

"I did not realize you had a meeting, Clovis. Should I leave?" Prince Lelouch asked calmly, though Jeremiah could feel the prince's amethyst eyes studying him as he took a seat next to him.

"No, no, you can stay if you wish," Prince Clovis said. "Besides, we need to finalize the plans for your welcome ball tomorrow."

Prince Lelouch grimaced. "I was really hoping you'd forget about that," he said.

"Of course I'm not going to forget, Lelouch," Clovis said with a grin. "It'll definitely help you out. Like I said, this is the perfect opportunity to expose you to the social world of the nobility. It will be fun."

"Yes, _fun,_ " Lelouch said and Jeremiah could hear the thick sarcasm in his prince's voice.

He blinked at the thought. This wasn't the first time that Jeremiah had referred to Prince Lelouch as 'his prince' in his thoughts but he knew the reason. His first loyalty was to Empress Marianne and the vi Britannia family so, naturally, his true loyalties were to Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally, thus was the reason why he referred to Prince Lelouch as such. Granted, he wasn't going to say that out loud; he had sworn to serve Prince Clovis, even if he wasn't a member of Clovis's Royal Guard or his personal regiment, the 1st Regiment.

Granted, if he had the choice, he would naturally choose to serve Prince Lelouch.

He pushed the thought out of his mind and tuned back into the conversation.

"…didn't get the chance to do this when I first told everyone that you were alive so I'm doing it now," Prince Clovis was saying. "Saturday's the best day to do it since that is always a good day for these kinds of things. Plus, you're going back to the military base Monday, aren't you?"

"Yes. Schneizel already informed me of my assigned post," Lelouch said.

"So what post is that?" Prince Clovis asked curiously.

"I've been given the rank of Colonel as well as command of the 11th Regiment," Lelouch said.

Jeremiah's head snapped toward Lelouch in shock. _So Prince Lelouch is the one that's replacing Stromberg? Well, I certainly understand why I didn't get the position when Stromberg retired._ Royals were considered of higher rank than everyone, even though they were still subjected to the chain of command, but when they were given command of a regiment then they only followed orders from whoever was in charge of the division the regiment was part of or someone of higher rank than the Commander-in-Chief of the division.

"I see," Clovis said with a nod. "Then I suspect it's a good thing that you remained here for my meeting with Margrave Gottwald. You should hear this as well."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"The terrorist threat is growing," Clovis said. "General Andon has decided to place the 11th Regiment in charge of any engagements with terrorists in and around Central and Southern Area 11 while he handles things in the north with the other regiments. The 1st Regiment has been ordered to remain in the Tokyo Settlement to handle any terrorist matters that rise up here though."

"I understand," Jeremiah said while Lelouch seemed deep in thought.

"I want you to help Lelouch out, Margrave. You have experience whereas my brother is still very new to the military scene and I believe he can benefit from your advice," Clovis said.

"I understand. I will help him to the best of my ability," Jeremiah said.

"You do realize I'm still in the room, right?" Lelouch asked casually.

"Oh, we didn't forget about you, Lelouch," Clovis said. "That's all I wanted to discuss with you, Margrave. You're dismissed."

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah said and stood up.

"Margrave."

The turquoise-haired young man turned to find Lelouch's amethyst eyes fixed on him.

"Don't go far. I want to speak to you in private," he said.

Jeremiah swallowed at the cold look in his prince's eyes but bowed. "I will wait outside until you are done, Your Highness," he said and left the office. He wondered just what Prince Lelouch wanted to speak to him about but he had a strong feeling he already knew the answer to that.

About fifteen minutes later, Prince Lelouch left the office, gesturing for Jeremiah to follow him and led the way away from the office. They walked in silence down the corridors of the Viceroy's Palace until they reached another office. Lelouch led the way inside, saying, "Brigadier General Stromberg told me that I could use his office now that I was in charge of his regiment. Take a seat, Margrave. There are some things that I need to know."

Jeremiah sat down on an armchair. "What is it you wish to know, Your Highness?" he asked.

"First of all, I would like to thank you for guarding Nunnally during that bake sale that Ashford Academy was holding," Lelouch said, turning to face the Margrave.

"It was no trouble, Your Highness. It was nice seeing Princess Nunnally again," Jeremiah said.

"I thought I recognized you when I saw you that day in Clovis's office before I left for basic training," Lelouch mused, narrowing his eyes. "That is the second reason why I asked to speak to you. I want to ask about my mother's death."

Jeremiah cringed as his suspicions were proven correct. He got to his feet and knelt down in front of his prince, crossing his fist over his heart. "I do deeply apologize, Your Highness, and humbly ask your forgiveness for failing to protect your mother, you, and your sister."

"What happened that day, Margrave?" Lelouch asked.

"We were asked to withdraw from the Aries Villa by Princess Cornelia," Jeremiah said.

Lelouch frowned. "It makes no sense. Why would she tell you to withdraw?" he asked.

"It wasn't unheard for Empress Marianne to ask for her guard to withdraw, Your Highness. She valued her privacy and usually asked this when she was meeting with someone she knew she could trust," Jeremiah said.

Lelouch's eyes narrowed as realization filled them. "She wasn't killed by terrorists," he murmured. "There is no way that terrorists could get close enough to actually kill her, especially with the amount of security around the Aries Villa and Mother did have a lot of enemies since the majority of the other Imperial Consorts as well as the nobility held her in contempt because of the status she received even though she was born a commoner."

"You think someone of the nobility killed her?" Jeremiah echoed, surprised.

"I believe so. The clues seem to be pointing at that but the bigger question is _who_? And why did they make it look like a terrorist attack, despite that not being logically possible?"

"It makes sense, Your Highness."

Lelouch pulled himself from his thoughts and turned his gaze to Jeremiah. "You have no need to apologize, Margrave. You were simply following orders," he said.

"I still ask your forgiveness, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

Lelouch seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Where do your loyalties truly lie, Margrave?"

"With you and your family, Your Highness," Jeremiah stated without preamble.

"Then prove that to me and I will forgive you."

It seemed simple enough and Jeremiah was determined to do just as his prince had commanded of him. He would prove that he was loyal to Prince Lelouch because he was; his loyalty was reserved for the vi Britannia family. "I shall, Your Highness."

"Good, you're dismissed."

"Yes, Your Highness." Jeremiah bowed his head again before standing up and walking out of the office.

 **. . .**

 _That went better than I thought it would. It would seem I have another powerful ally to add to my list of allies,_ Lelouch mused silently as he moved over to sit behind his desk and scanning the paperwork that he would have to submit soon to ensure the transfer for his comrades from basic training went smoothly.

He mused that there was probably going to be a backlash by members of the 11th Regiment, specifically since the Purist Faction was part of it, when they find out that he had personally transferred two Honorary Britannians to the regiment. However, he hoped that once they saw Tadashi and Suzaku in action, they would understand why he chose to transfer them.

He would also have to try and get Suzaku behind an actual knightmare to see if his score in the stimulation really did show how well he would do in real-life.

As if on cue, his phone began to ring. He picked it up. "This is Prince Lelouch," he said into it.

" _Ah, Your Highness, this is Earl Lloyd Asplund, head of the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps, are you busy?_ " An energetic and happy voice sounded on the other end.

"Not at the moment, Earl Asplund, how may I help you?" Lelouch asked, knowing that the earl was on the list of Schneizel's allies that were now his allies.

" _I heard that you got a high score on the Knightmare Qualification during basic training and I believe you might be the perfect fit for my nearly finished_ Lancelot _,_ " Apslund said excitedly.

"And why do you think that?" Lelouch asked.

" _Because I theorize that the sync rate that would allow my_ Lancelot _to move is correlated with the proficiency score that a knightmare pilot must obtain in order to be allowed to pilot a knightmare during basic training, meaning the higher the proficiency score a pilot obtains, the more likely they will be able to move my_ Lancelot. _And since your score is a 96, I feel you could be the perfect test pilot._ "

Lelouch decided against wondering just how Asplund got his Knightmare Qualification score and thought about his words. If Asplund's theory was correct then Lelouch would be able to move this _Lancelot_ but so could someone else, someone with the highest score on the Knightmare Qualification out of all the recruits he graduated with.

 _Well, I did say I needed to find a way to get Suzaku in a knightmare to test my own theory,_ he thought but another question entered his mind.

"What, exactly, is the _Lancelot_?" he asked.

" _Why, simply put, it is the prototype of the first ever seventh generation knightmare frame, of course,_ " Asplund said.

 _Seventh generation knightmare frame?_

" _So, will you come and try it out?_ " Asplund asked.

"How about this, Earl Apslund?" Lelouch said. "After I have taken command of the 11th Regiment and get everything settled on my end, I'll bring by a better test pilot, someone who scored a _perfect_ score on the Knightmare Qualification. I believe he may be the perfect test pilot for your _Lancelot_."

" _Ohh, someone who scored a_ perfect _score? Not many have actually done that. Okay, you've got yourself a deal, Your Highness. Say, a week from Monday?_ "

"Agreed," Lelouch said.

" _Great! I'll see you then, Your Highness,_ " Apslund said eagerly and hung up without another word.

 **. . .**

 _June 18, 2016_

 _Ballroom, Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement_

Kallen hated going to these kinds of things.

Her bitch of a stepmother and her father, who just so _happened_ to come back to Area 11 in time for the welcome ball that Prince Clovis was holding for Prince Lelouch, had dragged her to said welcoming ball. She was now forced to stand, in a form-fitting red dress that went to her ankles but was slit to her knees and red heels, amidst a crowd of nobles and try very hard to keep her façade up.

She hadn't wanted to go and knew that she could have played her fake sickness to its fullest to get out of going but she had decided to go for one reason.

She wanted to get closer to Prince Lelouch and find out more about him as per her brother's instructions.

She looked around, sipping at the glass of champagne that she had grabbed, watching as Prince Clovis basically paraded a patiently impassive Prince Lelouch around the various nobles that were gathered. Princess Nunnally hadn't come but Kallen's father had said that was because she hadn't made her public debut yet.

Clovis finally reached the Stadtfelds. "And this is Lord and Lady Stadtfeld," Clovis said.

"A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness," Lady Stadtfeld said in that sweet suck-up tone that made Kallen want to gag and the curtesy that she did only intensified that feeling.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Stadtfeld, Lord Stadtfeld, hello, Kallen," Prince Lelouch said, turning to face the red-headed half-Britannian.

"You two know each other?" Clovis echoed.

"She goes to school with my sister," Lelouch said and held out a hand. "Might I have this dance, my Lady?"

 _Perfect._ Not only would dancing with the prince allow her to get close to him and maybe get him talking but it would also get her away from her bitch of a stepmother. "Of course, Your Highness," Kallen said with a bow and placed her hand in his. He guided her onto the dancefloor as a soft, slow song began to play.

Prince Lelouch shifted his hands so that they were resting on her lower back while she wrapped her arms around his neck and they danced slowly to the music. Kallen thought quickly about what to ask and finally decided on a simple question. "Why did you ask me to dance?" she asked.

"Honestly, because you looked about as bored as I feel and I thought it'd give you something to do," the prince admitted.

Kallen had been bored, though she had also been looking for an excuse to get close to the prince and, she mused, it was rather coincidental that the prince would give her the very excuse she was looking for. She went over everything she already knew about Lelouch and decided to start her questioning from there.

"You mentioned a few days ago that you and Suzaku Kururugi have been friends since before the invasion. How did that happen?" Kallen asked. It didn't take much effort for her to sound genuinely confused and curious because she was. She didn't know how the prince could know a Japanese boy from before the invasion.

"We met when Nunnally and I came to Area 11 when it was still Japan," Lelouch said. It didn't really answer her question.

"Why were you in Area 11 before the invasion to begin with?" Kallen asked, hating that she had to call Japan by that name that Britannia had given it when they won the war.

Lelouch seemed to stiffen but relaxed a moment later, though his face did darken considerably. "The Emperor decided that he needed a bargaining chip during the Sakuradite Crisis and so sent Nunnally and I to the Kururugis as political hostages until the invasion," he said.

 _Who would do that to their own children?_ Kallen thought with an inward frown as the prince spun her across the dancefloor. She was about to ask Lelouch another question, this time about why they hadn't gone back to Pendragon when the invasion began, but stopped. That look that crossed Lelouch's face suggested that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to continue that line of questioning so she searched for something else to ask.

"How long have you known the members of the Student Council?" she asked. _This seems like a safe enough question to ask,_ she thought.

"I've known Milly since before Nunnally and I left Pendragon but I only met Nina, Rivalz, and Shirley in my first year at Ashford," Lelouch said.

 _So he hasn't known them for that long and yet is still good friends with them? Not to mention he's friends with a Japanese boy, even if said boy is an Honorary Britannina,_ Kallen mused thoughtfully. Prince Lelouch was an enigma and Kallen mused that it was rather difficult to figure him out with what little information she was able to get.

After the dance, the prince guided her back over to join the bitch and her father. Clovis was still chatting with them but they had been joined by an older gentleman with graying hair and a green-haired man who looked to be in his late fifties.

"Ah, Lelouch, glad you could rejoin us. I have two more people to introduce to you, though I suspect you've already met one of them," Clovis said while Kallen's bitch of a stepmother and her father walked away.

"Indeed I have. It is good to see you again, Brigadier General Stromberg," Lelouch said to the graying older gentleman as he released Kallen. She shifted out of the way, making as if to leave but stayed close enough so that she could hear, just in case they let loose something that could be important.

"You as well, Your Highness," Stromberg said.

"This is General Seth Andon, Commander-in-Chief of the 11th Division," Clovis said.

"So you are the General Andon one of my comrades spoke very highly of during basic training. Your reputation precedes you," Lelouch said.

"I simply have done my duty," Andon said with a respectful incline of his head. "And have many years of experience. If you are ever in need of advice, you are welcome to ask me."

"I will keep that in mind, General." Lelouch's face was impassive but Kallen could tell that Andon's words, no matter how kindly they were spoken, was a jab at the prince's lack of experience. However, Lelouch didn't betray that he was affected by that, even though she had no doubt he had figured that out just as she had. He wasn't stupid, far from it according to Nina, after all.

She studied Lelouch and wondered, briefly, on what he would be doing now. It was obvious he was being stationed in the Tokyo Settlement but she had no idea just what he would be doing. It was a safe bet that it would have something to do with the terrorists and she resolved to tell Naoto about Lelouch as soon as she figured out just where he was going to be placed.

She got her answer a moment later.

"I am curious to know something, Your Highness. Will Margrave Gottwald maintain his position? He was my second in command when I was in command of the 11th Regiment," Stromberg said.

"He will remain as such under my command," Lelouch said.

"Good. He is dependable and a strong soldier," Stromberg said.

"Well, I think that's enough military talk for today," Clovis said. "Come, Lelouch, there's another family that I want to introduce you to. Actually, a couple more." He placed a hand Lelouch's shoulder and guided the prince away from the two military commanders.

Kallen shifted into the throng of people, heading toward a table to get another glass of champagne, deciding that she had gathered enough information for the time being. She would tell Naoto the next time she was in the Shinjuku Ghetto. Prince Lelouch was a variable because they knew next to nothing about him or how decent of a military commander he was going to be.

 **. . .**

Lila sighed as she swirled her glass of water around, bored out of her mind. When the welcome ball for Prince Lelouch had been announced to all the noble families in the Tokyo Settlement, her parents had been quick to agree to go and they decided to drag her with them.

"Lila, hello," a familiar voice said and Lila turned to find Dimitri coming to her side, a glass of champagne in his hands. "I did not take you for the kind of person who attended these things."

"I'm not, usually, but Mother and Father decided to come and they insisted I come with them," Lila said. _Well, I suppose it's a step up from being confined to the manor and not allowed to leave without five bodyguards,_ she thought. "What brings you here?"

"The same reason, mostly," Dimitri said and nodded toward where a couple was standing with a wineglass in their hands; the man looked like a taller version of Dimitri while the woman was Dimitri's height with dark-green hair. "Prince Clovis likes to hold a lot of parties and balls but this is the first one Mother and Father have been to in a while. I only came because I didn't want to stay at home and do nothing for a couple of hours."

"I understand that feeling," Lila admitted, sipping at her water. _That single statement, minus the 'a couple of hours' describes my childhood almost perfectly,_ she thought but pushed the thought away. Her joining the military had given her the freedom that she wanted and her father supporting her decision had just made it better.

Her mother and father joined her at that moment and Dimitri, excusing himself, made his way over to join his parents. "Who was that?" Caleb asked, narrowing his eyes at the tall olive-green haired young man.

"He's just a friend I made during basic training, Father," Lila said.

"Hmm. Hello, Your Highness," Caleb said, adding the last part and bowing when he spotted Prince Clovis walking over to join them with Lelouch walking alongside him.

"Lord Moore, good to see you. This is my brother, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia. Lelouch, this is Lord Caleb and Lady Lucy Moore," Clovis said.

"It's nice to meet you," Lelouch said with an undercurrent of exasperation that suggested he had gotten tired of these greetings. Lila suspected that he had; she had seen him being introduced to noble after noble since the ball began and that was almost two hours ago.

"You as well, Your Highness," Lucy said with a bow.

"This is my daughter, Lila," Caleb said, placing a hand on Lila's shoulder and ushering her forward.

"We've met," Lelouch said with a faint smile. "Hello, Lila, it's good to see you again."

"You as well, Lelouch," Lila said.

"How do you know each other?" Lucy asked in confusion.

"We met at basic training," Lila said.

"I see." Lucy looked away at the reminder of just what Lila decided to do with her life. She was obviously still not happy about her decision but, at least, she wasn't trying to talk Lila out of it.

Caleb studied Lelouch with his lips pressed together and Lila sighed inwardly. It was a good thing that Lelouch was a prince and her father couldn't really do anything. He always got this way whenever Lila met boys ever since she turned sixteen. Granted, that wasn't often and only when they were visited by noble families and Lila was introduced to the sons of the noblemen. That was just another aspect in which he was overprotective of her but she supposed that all fathers were like that with their daughters.

Clovis and Lelouch moved on to the next family as another song started to play, one that caused Lucy to perk up. "This is my favorite song," she said.

"Then would you care for a dance?" Caleb asked, holding out a hand to his wife.

Lucy smiled and nodded, taking his hand and he guided her onto the dancefloor.

Lila wandered over to the table to refill her glass of water but bumped into someone on accident. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said immediately, stepping back.

"It's all right," the young man that Lila had bumped into said. "I wasn't watching where I was going either." He was tall and looked to be in his late teens, possibly early twenties, with short-cropped dark-blue hair and green eyes. He looked familiar but Lila couldn't place where she had seen him before.

"I'm sorry but you look familiar. Have we met before?" Lila asked.

"I doubt it. My sister and I were just reassigned to Area 11 recently. I'm Parker Frost," the boy said.

 _Frost…_ "I'm Lila Moore. Are you related to Rayne and Kay Frost?" Lila asked.

"You know my brother and sister?" Parker asked, looking shocked, though Lila now knew why Parker looked familiar; he looked a lot like Rayne and Kay. "They're here? They've been in Area 11 this entire time?"

Lila blinked in confusion. "Yeah, I know them. We attended basic training together," she said.

"Basic training? So they joined the military? Hn, I always knew Kayden would join the military. He always was a quick learner and a damn good knightmare pilot," Parker mused. "But I'm shocked that they're here of all places. Do you know where they are?" He sounded hopeful but Lila shook her head.

"I haven't seen them since graduation," she said. "But what do you mean by 'they've been in Area 11 this entire time?'?"

Parker seemed to shift uncomfortably, one hand going to the back of his neck. "Ah, well, they…kind of ran away a year ago," he said.

Lila's eyes went wide. That was something she hadn't known. She knew, just by how Rayne reacted whenever something having to do with her parents or her family was brought up and by the fact that Kay never read that letter he received from Pendragon, that something had happened between the twins and their family. But she never expected that they had run away from home.

"I wonder if Matthias knew all along that they were here. He did say that he had written to Kayden a few times but never said where they were," Parker murmured under his breath, though Lila still heard him, before adding, in a louder voice, "Well, perhaps they'll be assigned to the same regiment as me and Gretchen."

"Maybe. We won't know where we're going to be assigned until Monday," Lila said.

"Hmm, that's when my regiment is going to discover who our new commander is too. Odd coincidence," Parker mused and shook his head. "I'd better go find my sister. She…can't hold her liquor and I do not want to be the one to drag her drunk ass back to the base. It was nice meeting you, Lady Moore, and if you see Kayden and Rayne, tell them that I send my greetings."

"I will," Lila said and watched as Parker disappeared into the throng of nobles.

 **. . .**

 _June 19, 2016_

 _Kozuki Resistance Base, Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11_

"So he's going to be the new commander of the 11th Regiment?" Naoto asked after listening to Kallen's report on Prince Lelouch. The siblings were standing in the center of the main room of the resistance's base with the rest of the members, including Tara, standing around them. Kallen was steadfastly ignoring the aqua-haired girl as she had been since she first arrived; she hadn't liked when Tara first joined and it was clear that, in the last month, those feelings hadn't changed.

"He said so himself," Kallen replied. "Though it's unclear of what he's going to be doing."

"Considering the terrorist threat, he's probably going to be in charge of eradicating the terrorists, including you guys. I say he should be taken out before he gets the chance to become a threat," Tara said, standing up. "I could sneak into the settlement and take him out for ya."

"No one's taking out anyone," Naoto said sternly. "I am not about to sanction the assassination of a prince. For one, it will not benefit us in the long run and, for another, all it would do is draw Britannia's wrath down on Japan. I do not want to be responsible for starting another bloody war as bad as the Second Pacific War."

Naoto may not have experienced, firsthand, how bad the Second Pacific War had been when Japan was invaded by Britannia but he had seen what happened on television. He had seen the atrocities committed by Britannia. At the time, he hadn't understood why Britannia was doing that; later, he learned it was because of the Sakuradite mines. However, he was sure that Britannia would not take the assassination of one of their princes lightly and the results could, very well, be just as if not worse than the Second Pacific War.

"Do you really think Britannia would launch a war over the death of one of their princes?" Tamaki asked.

"I don't want to take the chance that they will," Naoto said with a shake of his head. "Besides, we still don't know, for sure, if he's going to be a threat or not since we don't know what his orders are. For now, we'll leave the prince alone and focus, more, on gathering more information and resources. One of my spies may have come up with a lead on something that's under development by Prince Clovis's scientists. They haven't gotten close enough to really figure out what it is but they're still seeking that information."

"Just how do you find these spies that can actually infiltrate such places?" Tara wondered.

Naoto said nothing because the spy that had infiltrated Clovis's forces as far as he had, to the point that he was actually able to spy on the scientists that worked under Clovis personally, was a Britannian. He knew that, considering the general sentiment of resentment toward Britannians shared by the majority of the members of his resistance, it wouldn't be a good idea for them to know just who was attempting to supply him such classified information.

"So what now? Just focus on resources for the time being?" Yoshida asked.

"Yeah," Naoto said with a nod. "It'd be best to stock up as much as we can now so that we won't run the risk of running out of ammo or supplies at a critical moment. Inoue, Yoshida, one of my contacts in Nagoya has contacted me telling me that they were willing to supply the grenades and missiles needed for the grenade and missile launchers we've acquired. I want you two to go and retrieve them."

"Can I go with? I'm bored and want something to do," Tara said.

Naoto still didn't trust Tara so he thought about another thing to have her do. She did say that she could slip into the settlement unnoticed because she looked Britannian. "No. I have another mission for you," he said.

"Oh? What's that?"

"I have another contact who's going to be arriving at the docks in the Tokyo Settlement in a couple of hours. You and Kallen will go and meet him and escort him to this secure location," Naoto said, writing down the location that he wanted to take the contact, since he didn't trust this new contact enough to bring him back to his actual base.

He held out the paper to Kallen who took it. She looked half-eager to finally get something to do to help out with the resistance and half-annoyed that she would have to do it with Tara.

Tara just shrugged. "I guess that's not too bad and Kallen and I'll be able to get by without being noticed," she said.

"We're heading out, Naoto," Inoue said. "We'll be back by tomorrow."

"Be careful," Naoto said.

"We will," Yoshida said and the two of them left the base.

"So what time's this contact of yours gonna be here?" Tara asked.

"Noon at the earliest so you should be there by then," Naoto said.

"Great. Let's go then, Kallen!" Tara said cheerfully and left the base.

Kallen glared at Naoto. "Why, of all people, did I have to get stuck with _her_?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"She's been helpful since she joined, Kallen."

"I still don't like that she forced her way into the resistance, Big Brother. I don't trust her and I'm afraid something bad's gonna happen, especially if she decides to go back on her side of the bargain and tell Britannia where you are."

"I know, Kallen, but everything will be all right," Naoto assured his sister softly. He had decided to take precautions soon after Tara had blackmailed her way into the resistance. Not only did he have a secondary base that only those he explicitly trusted knew about but he also ensured that any resources and equipment they got were stashed in a place that only he and Ohgi knew about. He also knew of various places throughout the Shinjuku Ghetto that one could hide in to avoid detection. If worse came to worse then, at least, Naoto and his friends would be able to go to ground and wait until the storm subsides.

He was sure that one small resistance cell wasn't nearly as important as other bigger resistance cells, especially those that were more active than his was, like the Crimson Sakuras, the Blood of the Samurai, and the Yamato Alliance, or were just a larger threat, like the Japan Liberation Front or the Liberators themselves. Britannia wouldn't waste too much time seeking Naoto's Resistance out if worse came to worse. Of that he was positive.

Kallen's eyes softened. "I just…I don't want to lose you or anyone else," she said.

Naoto's eyes softened and he gently drew his little sister into a hug. "I know," he said. "Now, you'd better go if you want to get to the docks on time."

Kallen nodded. "We'll be back soon," she said and left the base.

"You didn't tell her," Ohgi said quietly, coming to Naoto's side as the rest of the resistance members wandered away.

Naoto cast a sidelong glance at Ohgi. "I didn't want to run the risk of Tara eavesdropping. Considering she's already blackmailed us once, I would not put it past her to try and find enough information to blackmail us again to get what she wants," he said.

Ohgi nodded. "That was a good idea," he admitted. "By the way, who's the contact that Kallen and Tara are meeting?"

"He didn't give me his full name. He just said to call him Reyes."

 **. . .**

 _Unknown Location, Area 11_

"Why them?" A soft voice asked in Russian, coming up behind him as he gazed out the large window at the landscape that lay beyond. He had just informed her of his decision to recruit a small cell that had just cropped up in the Shinjuku Ghetto in Central Japan. "They're a small cell and they only just barely made their presence known before going to ground again."

"That's why these are simply negotiations to help them out. I chose them because of their proximity to the Tokyo Settlement," he replied in the same language, turning to face the tall, blonde woman standing behind him. "Besides, the boss wants us to try and recruit the smaller resistances for now."

"I see. What about Murkami?"

"What about him?"

"Reyes sent in that request that Murkami made for more supplies and weapons almost two months ago."

"I'm still attempting to convince the boss to let Murkami and the Crimson Sakuras have another chance. It's slow going. You know how the boss is when it comes to granting second chances."

"That's true."

"Not to mention he's still extremely shocked by the loss of the cell in Cambodia."

"Yes, that took us all by surprise. Prince Schneizel is a formidable enemy."

"And holds a lot of power. He is the second most powerful person in the entire Empire after all, being Prime Minster as well as the prince that is likely to take the throne after Emperor Charles, even though he isn't the Heir Apparent," he said. "But the boss is keeping an eye on Prince Schneizel for now. So have you discovered anything more on Prince Lelouch?"

The blonde woman took the change of subject in stride as she opened up the folder he hadn't realized she was carrying around. "From the spies we've managed to slip into the Tokyo Settlement have said, he's recently graduated from basic training but nothing beyond that. The last report I received was that they're trying to get into the military base itself to see what will happen with Prince Lelouch now."

"And the princess?"

"Nothing. She hasn't made her public debut yet so the royal family and Viceroy Clovis seem to be keeping her location a closely-held secret."

"I see. Very well. Keep me updated on any information regarding the vi Britannias. What of Clovis? Have you found anything new about him?"

"No, sir."

"All right. Have the spies keep an eye on him as well."

"Yes, sir."

 **. . .**

 _June 20, 2016_

 _Tokyo Military Base, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11_

Suzaku and Tadashi made their way down the corridor toward the hall in which the regiment they had been assigned to was meeting. Tadashi was happily talking about what he did the past four days and Suzaku listened patiently. He, himself, hadn't done much after he'd visited Nunnally and been introduced to the Student Council. He mostly spent his time at the military base or at the small one bedroom apartment he was renting with what little money he managed to save up over the years.

"…and then Dad made us clean up the entire kitchen. It sucked but I certainly had a blast," Tadashi was saying. "So how was your break, Suzaku?"

"Fine. I got to visit Princess Nunnally and that's pretty much it," Suzaku said.

"Oh, you got to visit Princess Nunnally? Lucky that you get to meet two princesses," Tadashi mused. "And lucky you are never on the receiving end of one of Lelouch's death glares."

Suzaku chuckled. "We met when we were ten years old. Those glares never really affected me back then. He doesn't glare at me now, like he does everyone else who so much as breathes in Nunnally's direction, because we grew to trust each other for many reasons," he said and didn't elaborate, not wanting to think about the invasion.

"I wonder if Lelouch might be a siscon?" Tadashi said.

 **. . .**

In another part of the military base, as he was preparing to go greet his soldiers while talking with Nunnally on the phone, Lelouch sneezed.

Nunnally giggled. " _I think someone's talking about you behind your back, Big Brother,_ " she said.

"Probably," Lelouch agreed.

 **. . .**

Suzaku laughed. "I wouldn't say that to his face," he said.

Tadashi chuckled. "Yeah, I value my life too much to do something stupid like that," he said. "Oh, looks like we're here. I still can't believe we're not getting placed in an all Honorary Britannian regiment like Lila said we probably would be."

That had been news to both Suzaku and Tadashi. When they had arrived at the military base to get their assigned regiments, the Major in charge of delivering the assignments had told them that they were extremely lucky because someone of a high rank _personally_ transferred them to another higher-ranked regiment. It made Suzaku wonder just who had done that for him and Tadashi.

"I wonder who had us transferred and why," Tadashi said. "I mean, I ain't complaining or nothing like that but it's still curious, right?"

"Yeah, it is," Suzaku said.

The two of them entered the meeting hall that was already nearly filled with the members of the regiment milling around, chatting with old friends or making new acquaintances. Almost everyone looked as if they were a couple of years older than Suzaku at least.

"Hey, look over there," Tadashi said, pointing and Suzaku followed where he was indicating to find the familiar pale-blue haired form of Rayne chatting with her brother nearby. "Hey! Rayne!" Tadashi darted across the meeting hall toward Rayne and caused quite a few members of the regiment to turn to him.

Suzaku, feeling embarrassed for his burnt-orange-haired friend, slowly followed him, feeling very self-conscious under the glares of the majority of the regiment as he walked. He heard them talk to each other and they didn't even bother on keeping their voices down.

"What are those two _Elevens_ doing here?"

"Shouldn't they be with all the other expendables?"

"Worthless Elevens probably got lost."

Suzaku ignored all of these racial slurs that were directed at him and Tadashi. He was used to it; while he may not have had to suffer through hearing those slurs during basic training, thanks to Lelouch's presence, he had dealt with them during the time before he had enlisted.

He joined Tadashi who was happily greeting Rayne and Kay. "…guess we really did end up in the same regiment," Tadashi was saying.

"I'm a bit surprised," Lila's familiar voice said and Suzaku turned to find the blonde girl walking over to join them. She was followed by Dimitri who looked just as surprised as Lila looked when he caught sight of them. "Usually, Honorary Britannians are placed in an all Honorary Britannian regiment."

"Yeah, that's where we thought we were going," Tadashi admitted. "But when we arrived at the base, the Major in charge of handing out the regiment assignments said that someone personally transferred both of us to this regiment. But we ain't got a clue who did it."

"Odd," Lila said.

"Ah, it doesn't matter. I'm just glad that I get to be in the same regiment as almost all of my friends. I just wish Lelouch was part of this regiment too," Rayne said.

"I believe His Highness will probably be placed in a higher-ranked regiment due to his royal status," Dimitri said.

"That's actually very likely," Kay said.

"Rayne! Kay!" A shout sounded and Rayne's face twisted into a scowl as two people jogged over to join the small group. The first, the one who called out to them, was a tall Britannian woman that looked very similar to Rayne, except that her hair was darker and she was much more muscular. She also had on the military uniform that signified her as a Lieutenant Colonel. The second was a slightly shorter Britannian man that also looked very similar to Rayne and Kay, except that his eyes were green. His military uniform signified him as a Major.

"So you have been assigned to the 11th Regiment," the tall woman said as she came to a stop by them and smiled. "I'm glad."

"Yeah, I'm also jumping for joy," Rayne growled sarcastically, the venom in her voice took Suzaku by surprise.

The tall woman seemed to flinch at that.

The man frowned at Rayne's tone. "Rayne, why are you so hostile toward Gretchen? She and I have been worried sick about you and Kayden for the past year," he said.

Rayne scoffed. "Bullshit," she spat, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at the man.

"I didn't know you were in the military too, Parker," Kay said quietly. "Where's Matthias?"

"He's in the military too but in the Research and Technology Development Department. He's still in Pendragon," the woman, Gretchen, said.

"Ah, I'm lost. Could someone please introduce us?" Tadashi asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"The bitch is Gretchen. The bastard is Parker," Rayne said.

Kay sighed as he cast a sidelong glance at the still fuming Rayne before elaborating. "Gretchen is our eldest sister and Parker is our second eldest brother," he said.

"Rayne doesn't seem to get along with them," Tadashi said.

"It's…complicated," Kay said. "And I don't want to talk about it."

"Maybe we should talk about it," Parker suggested. "It might help to clear things up and we can start patching up our relationship."

"I don't want to talk to you period," Rayne growled, glaring at Gretchen and Parker, and then moving out of earshot.

"Perhaps another time," Kay said and moved over to Rayne's side, placing a hand on her shoulder and talking softly to her in an attempt to calm her down.

Gretchen and Parker exchanged glances but, apparently, decided that it wouldn't help if they tried to push the matter at the moment. They turned and walked away, heading over to join a group of soldiers standing nearby. It was only after they had gotten out of earshot that Rayne and Kay rejoined the group, Rayne looking considerably calmer.

"I'm just going to deal with them, Rayne. If you want to request a transfer to another regiment, I'm sure whoever's in charge won't mind granting your request," Kay said.

"No," Rayne said with a sigh. "I would rather be on a regiment with people I know than one where I won't know anyone. I can deal with them."

The tension was still almost tangible in the air but Lila decided to break it. "Speaking of who's in charge, I wonder who that is," she said.

"The last thing I heard was that the commander of the 11th Regiment had retired so it has a new commander now but if anyone knows who it is, they haven't said anything," Dimitri said.

"Though it does look like we're on the same regiment as the Purist Faction," Lila said and gestured toward a small group of soldiers standing near the head of the body of soldiers that made up the regiment. Suzaku recognized the one with turquoise-colored hair as Jeremiah Gottwald, the leader of the Purist Faction. "They might make things difficult for Suzaku and Tadashi."

Suzaku knew that was true. The Purist Faction were made up of pureblood Britannians who believed in Britannian superiority, especially if one was of noble birth, and they looked down on and were actively discriminatory against anyone who wasn't a pureblood Britannian. It was even worse for the person if they were an Eleven.

"Let's hope the new commander is, at least, an Honorary Britannian-sympathizer then," Tadashi said.

"Where's the new commander? We were told to be here at two o'clock and it's two now," Dimitri said.

As if on cue, Jeremiah turned to the regiment. "Attention!" he called sharply.

Suzaku and the rest of his friends quickly darted forward to stand in line and at attention with the rest of the regiment.

"Thank you, Margave Gottwald," an almost bored but very recognizable voice said and Suzaku had to keep his jaw from dropping as the new commander of the 11th Regiment made his way to stand in front of the crowd.

 _Lelouch?_

 **. . .**

 _Lelouch is the new commander of the 11_ _th_ _Regiment?_ Kay thought in shock as he stared at the prince as he came to a stop in front of the gathered soldiers. He was dressed in a gold-accented black tunic that went to his waist and black pants tucked into black combat boots; his overcoat was black and embroidered with gold and with dark-purple lining that went to his waist with a gold-embroidered black cape resting around his shoulders. His head was held high and his amethyst eyes scanned the group that stood before him.

"I am Lelouch vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince of the Holy Empire of Britannia and seventeenth in line for the throne. I am also the new commander of the 11th Regiment," he began. "As your leader, I expect you to adhere to the rules of common decency. I will not allow any acts of prejudice or discrimination against anyone, whether they be pureblooded Britannians, commoners, or Numbers. If we are to be a strong fighting force, we must not have that kind of infighting for that shall only weaken us."

"I know many of you will not like that there are some Honorary Britannians as members of this regiment and many of you may think that this is a mistake. I assure you that it is not; I, _personally_ , saw that these two Honorary Britannians were transferred to this regiment."

Kay saw Suzaku's eyes flash with surprise and then worry while Tadashi's jaw had literally dropped.

"I did so because they have skills that deserve a recognition that they would not have received, and great potential they would have never fully realized, in a lower-ranked regiment. I am not someone who will simply turn aside someone with great skills and great potential just because of something that is beyond their control."

Lelouch continued to watch the soldiers with unreadable eyes as he gestured broadly to them and went on, "You are here because you desire to fight to protect Britannia, to protect your family, your friends, and anyone else who is in need of protection. I am just like you. I also fight to protect the ones that I love. I am your leader and I will strive to be the leader that you can all come to respect. Respect is not given, it is earned; just as I will strive to earn your respect so shall I expect you all to strive to earn mine."

He raised his hand. "The 11th Regiment shall, henceforth, also be known as the Black Knights for, just like knights, we shall fight to defend those who cannot defend themselves, no matter who they may be. We will protect those who are in need of protection and"—He clenched his hand into a fist—"we will fight those who seek to sow chaos and tragedy in our society. We shall do this because we have the right to fight for the future of ourselves, our friends, and our family!"

Kay stared in awe at Lelouch, at the passion with which he spoke, at the sheer _charisma_ that exuded off him as he spoke. It was obvious that he was a natural leader and his charisma seemed to have affected everyone because everyone had been struck deeply by Lelouch's speech, especially the latter half of it.

 _I never knew he was that charismatic,_ he mused.

Once the commotion had calmed down, Lelouch began speaking again. "That is all I have to say. You are all dismissed," he said.

"Yes, Your Highness!" The majority of the regiment said at once, saluted, and began to file out of the room.

"Whoa, I never knew he was that charismatic," Tadashi said.

"He's a natural leader," Lila mused. "We all saw that whenever he took charge of those teamwork exercises we had to do during basic training."

"Yeah but that's not the same as actually taking control of an entire regiment."

"He did well," Dimitri said with a nod.

"I kinda like the name he gave the 11th Regiment. The _Black Knights_. It sounds so mysterious," Rayne said.

"I'm glad you approve, Rayne," Lelouch's voice sounded behind them and the group jumped and whirled around. They hadn't heard the prince join them and Kay noticed that the meeting hall was empty save for them.

"Why didn't you tell us that you'd gotten command of the 11th Regiment?" Rayne asked.

"I wanted to surprise you," Lelouch said with a shrug and a faint smirk.

"Ya certainly did," Tadashi said. "Especially when ya dropped that bombshell 'bout personally transferring Suzaku and me to this regiment."

Suzaku was studying Lelouch with narrowed eyes. "Why did you do that, Lelouch?" he asked.

"Suzaku, both you and Tadashi have a lot of potential and neither of you would have realized your full potential if you were forced to remain in a low-ranked regiment. You both have the skills and the motivation to be just as good as everyone else in this regiment and I was not about to let you waste it just because of your heritage," Lelouch said calmly.

"So it had nothing to do with us being your friends?" Tadashi asked.

"That would be favoritism and that is something that I cannot show in my position," Lelouch said and said nothing more on the subject.

Kay studied him, wondering exactly what he meant by that, but said nothing since it was clear that Lelouch was not going to elaborate.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: welp, I got this up before December so that's good. Also, Lelouch's speech...did you know I spent a good three _days_ trying to come up with it and have it fit Lelouch's personality? Yup. Took that long but I still rather like it.**

 **Bakura: how long before the next update?**

 **Blaze: …I, honestly, have no clue. Maybe before Christmas but I've got a treat for my readers!**

 **Bakura: what sort of treat?**

 **Blaze: sneak peeks of upcoming chapters! Well, mostly just quotes taken directly from future chapters (up until chapter 35, which is where I am in prewritten chapters, and one quote per chapter but not all chapters will be previewed [since that would be 22 quotes and, frankly, that's just too many]. They will be in chronological order though.)**

 **Bakura: …**

 **Blaze: yeah, I can just see you're bursting with excitement so let's get to it!**

 **. . .**

" _Because the only reason that you're even here is because you're holding something over our head and could easily turn us over to Britannia! Why the hell would we trust someone who holds that kind of power over us?"_

 **. . .**

" _And you have proven yourself a capable pilot and a strong fighter. You've earned this. I am promoting you to Warrant Officer."_

 **. . .**

" _The boss wants the prince. When we find them, kill the boy and take the prince. Find them now."_

 **. . .**

" _You saved my life again. I swear that's becoming a bad habit of yours."_

 **. . .**

" _Nunnally, look out!"_

 **. . .**

" _If that's the case then we can crush the 11th Regiment easily. There's no way such an inexperienced teenager, who's also emotionally compromised, can defeat us! And, while we're at it, we can take out General Andon! Finally, we can get that thorn in our side out of the way."_

 **. . .**

" _Your father would be so ashamed of you serving the country that destroyed yours."_

 **. . .**

" _You're either just too stubborn or to blind, and I'm willing to bet it's the latter, to see it for yourself. Just go and spend time with her, Lelouch, and I'm sure you'll open your eyes to what you truly feel."_

 **. . .**

" _I...I don't remember anything. Just that name."_

 **. . .**

" _It's not your fault. I didn't...didn't tell you how I was really feeling because...because I just didn't want to burden you even more than you already were, so I kept it from everyone. I think...I think I was even denying it myself."_

 **. . .**

" _I desire to change the world, to ensure that there will come a time when what happened here will never happen again, and in order to do that, I understand that I will have to get my hands dirty."_

 **. . .**

" _Lelouch, is that the same girl from Shinjuku or am I hallucinating?"_

 **. . .**

 **Blaze: and that's that! I chose the most interesting quotes I could find that won't reveal the more important plot points in the coming chapters. I probably won't do this again but I thought "ah, what the hell?" It might up the suspense of what's coming up! At least, that's what I'm hoping. There's a reason why I chose to include random quotes rather than giving a short summary of the next chapter, or upcoming chapters or anything like that. Quotes are pretty vague, in my opinion, and yet speak volumes at the same time. Plus, most of the time, they don't make sense without context and…**

 **Bakura: GAH, WOULD YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?! Ra, how much candy have you had today? And which asshole am I going to have to kill for giving you that much candy?**

 **Blaze: (thinks) twenty bags of Skittles [I don't own these] and it was either Roger [I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V either] or Luciano, I don't remember which**

 **Bakura: (pulls out his set of knives) I will just kill both of them then (goes to kill Roger and Luciano)**

 **Roger and Luciano: (gulps and takes off running)**

 **Suzaku: (sigh) well, anyway, Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter, and the little sneak previews of upcoming chapters. The next chapter will, hopefully, be up before Christmas but she makes no promises. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated and thank you for reading.**


	14. Meetings and Mission

**I am updating today in honor of Lelouch's birthday. So Happy Birthday, Lelouch!**

 **Lelouch: thank you**

 **You're welcome. So fifteen people reviewed the last chapter. Thank you to _Blacksword Zero, Darrenshan1234, ZeroUnleashed, harlequin320, ewertondragon, OBERVER01, Doommajor, Demons Anarchy of Pride, DYnoJackal19, B-Kira, MasterDangel, F.C.C.S., Scarease, Shadow-Shinobi666,_ and _Shimmering-Sky_ for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

 **Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this chapter. It's 16 pages, single-spaced, and over 8,000 words but it's a tiny bit of a filler/prelude to the upcoming three-part chapter. (Remember when I told you that I wrote a 45 page chapter and had to split it into three chapters as a result? Yeah? Well, that's what's starting in the next chapter.)**

 **Anyway, real quick note; the scene that is from B.B.'s perspective, it _will_ be explained in a later chapter. Just so you know.**

 **I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _February 29, 2016_

 _Underground Tunnels, Outskirts of the Osaka Settlement, Area 11_

 _Hozumi Murkami scowled in fury as he paced the length of the small chamber he and the remnants of his resistance cell had gathered in when they were forced to retreat from Osaka as shattered as they had been. Their resistance had been utterly decimated under the assault of General Andon's forces; he had lost all of the knightmares and tanks that his supplier had been able to get him as well as a large chunk of his men._

 _"That didn't go well," his second, Naora Kubota, mused._

 _Hozumi glared at his second but closed his eyes so as to not lash out against Naora, who was a member of the very group that had supplied Hozumi the last time he had attacked Osaka. Also, over the course of the past couple of years since she'd joined, they'd become lovers. "Of course it didn't," he said once he got a hold of his emotions as best he could. "Damn it! I underestimated General Andon and his forces."_

 _"No duh," Tadayoshi Yamakage said, rolling his eyes._

 _"I don't need your sarcasm right now, Tadayoshi," Hozumi snapped, glaring at Tadayoshi._

 _"We're in some deep shit now," Nomi Maruta said with a sigh. "We're not gonna be able to do much until we can restock on resources."_

 _"I know," Hozumi said, stopping in his pacing and leaning against the wall, gazing around at his injured men. "For now, we need to focus on recovering and gaining more resources. As soon as I can, I'm going to find our supplier and request more supplies, though, since he won't be back in Japan for a while, I'll have to wait until he gets back."_

 _"And when will that be?" Tadayoshi asked._

 _"Around the end of April, he said when I last spoke to him," Hozumi said._

 _"This means we gotta go to ground for a while 'till we get those supplies," Naora said. "It would be safer anyway. We won't be able to take Osaka until we have the necessary supplies and resources. Also, we should get some information on what's going on in Osaka. If General Andon isn't there, we may stand a better chance at retaking the city. Personally, I also think we shouldn't focus on taking the city itself. That obviously failed."_

 _That was Hozumi's original plan. Just launch a full-scale assault on the city, force the Britannian military to engage them, and then obliterate them. Looking back, he realized it was an incredibly reckless, and somewhat stupid, plan. And he hated being proven wrong._

 _"What do you suggest, Naora?" he asked._

 _Naora gave him a cool smile. "Last time, we gave them too much time to get organized because we attacked the city first. This time, we simply do not give them time to get organized," she said._

 _"You mean launch an attack on the military base itself?" Nomi echoed._

 _"That's suicide," Tadayoshi said._

 _"Hear me out," Naora said, that cool smile never leaving her lips. There was a reason why Hozumi had chosen Naora Kubota as his second; she was just as ruthless as he was but she was also good at coming up with decent plans._

 _"All right, Naora. We're all ears. What's this plan of yours?" Hozumi asked._

 _Naora's smirk widened into a cool grin. "What is the best way to gain the advantage over the enemy? Take out their leader of course," she said, answering her own question._

 _"You want to stage an assassination of General Andon?" Nomi echoed, surprised._

 _"Or whoever is put in charge of the military base here when Andon leaves," Naora said._

 _"We don't know that Andon is going to leave," Tadayoshi said._

 _"We don't know that he's going to stay either. We don't know anything at this point. It's simply an idea, though I suspect we're gonna have to get a lot of information about what's going on in the city before we can implement this plan."_

 _"I agree," Hozumi said and turned. "Nomi. You're the best suited for the task of espionage. Sneak back into Osaka and see what information you can gather."_

 _"Yes, sir," Nomi said and left the chamber._

 **. . .**

 **14**

 **Meetings and Mission**

 _June 21, 2016_

 _Underground Tunnels, Outskirts of the Osaka Settlement_

Hozumi gazed at the map that lay in front of him, his fingers pushing a few small blue-colored pieces of paper into various areas on the map. The map was one of the Osaka Military Base, downloaded from a computer in the base itself—Hozumi marveled at how Nomi was able to pull that off—and the blue pieces of paper represented his forces, which were rather limited at the moment due to his loss a few months earlier. At the very least, though it had taken him as long as it had, Reyes came through on his end and Hozumi had gained the resources he needed to implement Naora's plan.

However, that was what he was currently trying to figure out. He didn't have enough information on the military base itself to be able to launch an effective attack against it without losing the resources Reyes got for him. Reyes had told him, point blank, that he wouldn't get another chance; if he failed here then he wouldn't be able to get any more supplies from Reyes's group.

Since Reyes's group were his main supplier, Hozumi could not afford to fail here.

So he sent Nomi into the Osaka Settlement, just as he had the night of the Crimson Sakuras' defeat, to gather more information. She had assured him that she knew of a way into the military base but, when he asked her how, she said that she would tell him when she got back. However, if she did have a way into the military base, not only would she be able to get more worthwhile information but it would help with Naora's plan.

Speaking of his second, the black-haired woman had come to Hozumi's side, peering over his shoulder at the map and the various pieces of blue paper. "You haven't included the enemies' positions," she said.

"I'm debating on what the new commander would do should he find himself under attack. He seems like a newbie, considering his age, and yet I can't underestimate him. Underestimating someone is what cost me against Andon," Hozumi said.

"But you may be overcomplicating this entire matter. You do have a tendency of doing that, dear," Naora said, curling her arms around his waist and moving a few of the blue pieces out of the way, her warm breath brushing against his neck. He shivered at being so close to her but said nothing as she picked up a piece of red paper and began tearing them into small pieces.

"When we attack, we will be attacking when they least expect it," she said. "Our best bet will be during the night. Depending on what information we get about the newbie from Nomi, he will either be asleep like everyone else"—she moved the biggest red piece over to the barracks of the map—"or he'll still be doing work." She moved the biggest red piece to the main building. "However, they will always have someone on guard just in case, especially in key areas, including the communication building. That tower is key to ensuring our plan works."

"We need to avoid them calling for reinforcements so that we have time to take over the base," Hozumi said thoughtfully.

"And then we can move our base of operations into the city itself. We can use the city as a staging ground for our next campaign," Naora said.

"Let's focus on taking over the base for now," Hozumi said, turning so that he was facing his lover. "The communication building is our priority but taking out the leader will put the rest of the enemy in a disarray, which will make it easier for us to attack. Also, we should aim our hit on the barracks as well."

Naora nodded thoughtfully. "I agree," she said and then shifted so that her body was pressed against his. "But I think that's enough planning for now. Why don't we take a little break?" she asked, running her hands through his hair and leaning forward, pressing her lips against his. He kissed her back, hands traveling to her hips as he pulled her closer to him.

Naturally, their moment was interrupted.

"Ah, am I interrupting, sir?" Nomi asked.

Hozumi pulled back from Naora and turned to find a blushing Nomi standing at the entrance to the chamber, a folder in her hands. Naora huffed and pouted as he released her. "No. What did you find out?" he asked.

Nomi stepped further into the room and handed him the folder. "The schedule of everyone who's going to be on guard over the course of the next week, a printout of the layout of the base including the location of the hidden tunnel I used to get into it, the name and a brief profile of the man who was left in charge of the base, and the location of the main computer."

Hozumi's eyebrows rose. "Impressive," he said. "Just how were you able to find all this information?"

Nomi smiled. "Hacked into the mainframe using the main computer," she said.

Hozumi had always known Nomi was a skilled hacker. He never expected her to be that skilled and he'd been working with her for the past couple of years.

Naora smirked. "With these, Major General Pyne and his forces won't stand a chance," she said. "I say we do it this weekend during the night."

"Agreed," Hozumi said.

 **. . .**

 _June 22, 2016_

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

Shirley gently finished folding the origami crane, studying it. "Well, it's not as lopsided as I thought it'd be," she said, glancing at Nunnally as she pushed the crane she had just made toward the princess.

Nunnally giggled. "It takes time and lots of practice," she said, taking the crane and adding it to the pile of cranes she had already made. "Maybe we can include making origami stuff in the next festival. Sayoko can teach them how to do this like she did me."

"That's a wonderful idea, Nunnally," Milly said with a grin.

The student council were currently gathered in the meeting room along with their honorary member. As they hadn't had anything to do during the meeting, Milly declared that the meeting would be a game day. Nunnally offered to show others how to make origami cranes while Milly pulled out a few board games that she had brought with her.

Currently, Shirley was the only one making origami cranes with Nunnally while watching as Rivalz, Nina, whom Milly had _insisted_ join, Kallen, and Milly herself were playing a game of _Trivial Pursuit_. It was just a laidback day; they did have a few of these since Shirley's freshman year of high school but they were few and far in between.

"Okay, I landed on a blue square," Rivalz said, placing his piece on the blue square. He only had two of the six necessary game pieces while Kallen was in the lead with five, Nina had four, and Milly had three.

Milly fished out a blue card. "Okay, Famous People. Oh, this one's about the Royal Family. Nunnally, you can't say anything," she said.

Nunnally giggled but nodded.

Rivalz pouted.

"Okay, the question is: _Who was the Imperial Consort of Emperor Charles zi Britannia that was also the Knight of Two and nicknamed 'the Flash'?_ " Milly asked and then grinned.

Nunnally smiled but kept her lips closed.

"You know the answer?" Shirley asked. She felt as if she should know who it was but couldn't put her finger on the name.

"Ah, um…" Rivalz's face took on a blank look.

"Give up?" Milly asked.

"Yeah, I don't know who that is," Rivalz admitted.

"Nunnally, would you care to answer?"

Nunnally nodded. "It was my mother, Marianne vi Britannia," she said with a small, sad smile.

"Really?" Rivalz said surprised. "Your mother was a Knight of the Round?"

"Yup and she was a really good nightmare pilot." Nunnally giggled and added, "One time, when one of the other consorts was complaining about me and Big Brother playing too loudly, she came out in her knightmare frame and basically told her to leave us alone or deal with her."

Milly laughed. "I remember that. I was there, remember?" she said.

"Uh huh. That was the same day that Big Brother fell into the stream while trying to get away from me and Euphie," Nunnally said and started giggling again.

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you, Little Sister?" Lelouch's familiar voice said and Shirley jumped a little, turning in her seat to find Lelouch standing in the doorway, looking amused. She hadn't even heard the door open.

"Lulu, what are you doing here?" she blurted out.

"I see _someone_ forgot to tell you that I was coming by today," Lelouch said, casting a sidelong glance at Milly who gave him a smirk.

"What? And spoil Shirley's surprise?" she asked.

Shirley blushed. She had been surprised by Lelouch's arrival but she was happy that he was visiting as often as he could. He hadn't been able to visit much the past six days though, nor had Shirley been able to schedule another date with him.

Her blush deepened at the memory of her last date with Lelouch, and about how she had kissed him at the end of it. She still couldn't believe she had actually worked up the nerve to kiss him, even if it was only on the cheek.

"Aww, are you remembering the kiss you gave Lulu before you ran off to your dorm at the end of your date?" Milly asked with a big grin.

"M…Madam President!" Shirley cried.

"Shirley kissed you, Big Brother?" Nunnally said in surprise.

"Yup. And I got the picture of him blushing to prove it," Milly said cheerfully. She gave Lelouch a perverted smirk before adding, "I bet ya had some _really_ good dreams about her after that."

"Milly!"

"Madam President!"

Lelouch and Shirley exclaimed at the exact same time but Milly just started laughing.

"Perverted She-Devil. Don't you ever get tired of acting like this?" Lelouch asked.

Milly thought about it for a moment. "Nope," she said cheerfully.

Nunnally giggled. "Big Brother, why don't you join us? Milly decided that, since she didn't have anything scheduled, we're having a game day for this meeting," she said.

"Yeah, you can take my place playing this game 'cause, apparently, I suck at it," Rivalz grumbled.

Lelouch smiled. "I suppose I can stay for a little while," he said and moved over to join the group.

Shirley turned her attention to the small square piece of purple origami paper and began folding it, pressing her lips together in concentration as she worked. She could hear the rest of her friends as well as Lelouch continue to play while Rivalz had joined her and Nunnally in folding paper cranes.

She finished the purple one and began working on another one, putting the purple one aside to give to Lelouch before he left.

Before long, Lelouch managed to catch up with Kallen in terms of pieces; both of them were tied with six and were now heading toward the hub to get the final question. Kallen's eyes held a stubborn glint while Lelouch was as impassive as ever.

Kallen ended up getting there first.

"Okay, so we get to pick the category. Hmm." Milly tapped her finger to her lips.

"Military History," Lelouch suggested blandly, holding up one of the green cards.

"Good enough for me," Milly said, taking the card. "Okay, the question is: _Which battle led to the culmination of Napoleon's rule?_ "

Kallen pressed her lips together in thought but shook her head. "I don't know," she said and moved her piece off the hub. "What was it?"

"The Battle of Waterloo in 1821," Lelouch said before Milly could read off the card as he picked up the dice. "My turn." He rolled the dice and moved two spaces when the dice came to a stop, bringing him onto the hub.

"Okay, let's see. Hmm, which category should we choose?" Milly said thoughtfully. She snapped her fingers together. "I know. We'll go with the Entertainment category."

Lelouch's lips twisted into a grimace and Milly, giggling, pulled out a purple card. "Okay, your question is: _What is the name of the children's television show that won the award for Best New Animated Series in 2009?_ " She asked.

" _Princess Lily and the Magical Glasses_ ," Lelouch said, causing everyone to stare at him in surprise, except Nunnally who was smiling. Lelouch blinked at them in confusion at the stunned expressions on their faces and added, "That was Nunnally's favorite show growing up."

"Oh, well, damn, I hadn't known that," Milly said with a pout. "Well, I guess you win, Lelouch."

"Yes!" Rivalz cheered.

"Lulu was the one that won, Rivalz, not you," Shirley reminded him.

"But he won while playing for me," Rivalz said.

Shirley rolled her eyes.

Lelouch's phone went off at that moment and he pulled it out, answering it. "Yes?" he said.

There was a moment of silence before Lelouch nodded. "I'm on my way. Inform Clovis that I'll be there in ten minutes," he said and closed the phone. "I have to go."

"Tell Brother Clovis that I say hi," Nunnally said as Lelouch got to his feet.

"I will," Lelouch said and headed for the door.

Remembering what she wanted to do, Shirley jumped to her feet, grabbed the crane, and darted to Lelouch's side. He glanced at her and she, blushing, held out the crane. "Ah, I made this for you," she said. She bit her lip and added, "And, uh, well, there's a movie called _Nightfall_ and I thought it sounded interesting and, ah, wouldoyuliketogowithmetoseeit?" She said that last statement in a big rush and her blush deepened when she heard Milly's laughter.

Lelouch blinked at her, taking the crane. "I didn't quite catch that, Shirley," he said.

"Er…" Shirley swallowed, about ready to back out and change her mind but, before she could, Milly came to her side and slung an arm around her shoulders.

"She asked you if you like to go see the movie _Nightfall_ with her," Milly said brightly.

Lelouch blinked. "I'll have to see but I think I'm free Friday night. Would that be all right?" he asked.

 _Remember, act like yourself,_ Shirley told herself, reminding herself of Milly's advice during her first date with Lelouch. She lifted her head and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds fine with me. Um, I'm gonna be at my Dad's house this weekend so, uh…"

"I'll come and pick you up there," Lelouch said. "I'd better go or I'm going to be late." He said his goodbyes to the rest of the Student Council and left.

Milly grinned. "You were able to get _two_ dates with Lelouch! I'm so proud of you, Shirley!" She said, hugging Shirley.

"Um…yeah…" Shirley said dizzily.

Milly snickered and guided the orangette to her seat. "Okay, everyone, who's up for playing _Twister?_ "

"No!" The majority of the Student Council said in an instant.

"You're no fun," Milly said with a pout.

 **. . .**

 _June 23, 2016_

 _Tokyo Military Base, Tokyo Settlement_

Jeremiah didn't know what to make of having two Honorary Britannians in the 11th Regiment and had to question just why it was that his prince would personally transfer those two Elevens. He, Kewell, and Villetta were currently gathered in Jeremiah's office in the military base and Kewell obviously didn't like that decision either.

"I can't believe that His Highness would personally transfer two Elevens to this regiment," Kewell muttered, leaning back in the armchair he was seated in.

"He said they have skills and potential," Villetta pointed out, crossing her legs as she relaxed in her own armchair.

"They're Elevens," Kewell said with a snort. "It's doubtful that they have any noteworthy skills."

"Well, it was His Highness decision. We can't unmake it," Jeremiah said. He didn't like it and did have to wonder why Prince Lelouch would do such a thing but he wasn't going to question him.

"I know but that doesn't mean I have to like it," Kewell muttered.

"I wonder just how good of a commander Prince Lelouch will be," Villetta admitted. "He did return from being supposedly dead and he doesn't have much experience beyond basic training."

"I'm sure he'll do fine," Jeremiah said. "And since I'm maintaining my position as his second in command, I can advise him should he need it. But I believe he will want to show his own strengths and not rely on me all the time."

"Probably. He is a new military commander," Villetta said. She stood up and stretched. "I think I'm going to head to the bar. Do you guys want to come with?"

"I could use a drink right now," Kewell said, also standing up. "Are you coming, Jeremiah?"

Jeremiah wanted to but he had a meeting with Prince Lelouch in fifteen minutes. "I would but I have a meeting with His Highness. Perhaps tomorrow?" he said.

Kewell and Villetta nodded before they left the office. Jeremiah returned his attention to the paperwork on his desk and finished going through the various reports. As General Andon had ordered the 11th Regiment to handle any terrorist matters that cropped up in Central and Southern Area 11, Prince Lelouch had decided that it would be a good idea to go over the previous battles that had occurred in that area since the terrorist threat started getting worse. That was what Jeremiah had been looking up; he had participated in many of those engagements himself the past six years since he'd come to Area 11 so he was sure that his knowledge would help his prince.

Getting to his feet and gathering the reports into a folder, Jeremiah left the office and headed down the hall to Prince Lelouch's office. He had one here as well as within the Viceroy's Palace as well as his own quarters.

When he reached the office, Jeremiah knocked on the door.

"Come in," Prince Lelouch's voice called and Jeremiah opened the door before stepping into the office.

Prince Lelouch was seated behind his desk, typing away at his computer and occasionally glancing at a report that was resting on his desk, his brow was furrowed in thought, and with his phone resting against his ear. He gestured with one hand for Jeremiah to sit down when he spotted him as he said into the phone, "No, at the moment, I cannot. Perhaps this weekend we can schedule something….Yes, I am aware that I have not spoken to the public since I returned to the Royal Family…Yes, I realize that but I have much I need to get done before this weekend…" The prince was looking exasperated as he spoke to whoever was on the other line, though Jeremiah figured it was the media.

Prince Lelouch finally hung up the phone and rubbed his head. "I hate the media," he muttered, confirming Jeremiah's suspicions. "That is the sixth time my secretary has contacted me telling me that a reporter wanted to speak with me." He shook his head and turned to Jeremiah. "What have you found out, Margrave?"

"It would appear that the increase in terrorist activity seems to have started in late January of this year, following the devastating attacks on Hokkaido," Jeremiah said, pulling out the report of that incident; he hadn't participated in it. "To this day, no one knows who was behind it since no terrorist organization has claimed credit but it was after those attacks that terrorism began to increase in Area 11."

"What do we know about those attacks?" Prince Lelouch asked, holding out a hand and Jeremiah handed him the report.

"The attack on Hakodate was an attack on the military base stationed there whereas the attack on Sapporo was an attack on the civilians in the city itself. General Bartley believes that Sapporo was a scare tactic while General Andon thinks that each attack was done by a different party."

"A coordinated attack and a scare tactic on the same island," Prince Lelouch murmured, scanning the reports. "And they were only a day apart from each other, with the attack on Sapporo occurring first." His brow furrowed in thought. "Both attacks had many civilian causalities, despite Hakodate being primarily focused on the military base; that is what leads me to believe that both of these attacks were done by the same group."

"Your Highness?" Jeremiah said surprised. "Why would they use two different tactics then?"

"It's very simple, Margrave. By using a scare tactic in one city, the terrorists are guaranteeing that our attention would be fixated on that city, therefore allowing them to launch an attack at another city without us suspecting anything. The attack on Sapporo was simply a distraction to draw the army's attention away from the _true_ target."

Jeremiah blinked and realized that his prince's conclusion made a lot of sense. He hadn't thought of it that way; he had thought along the same lines as General Andon that the attacks were done by two separate groups.

"But we still don't know who was behind it," Jeremiah said.

"That is true," Prince Lelouch agreed, pressing his lips together. "What do we know about the terrorist cells in Japan?"

"We only know the names of a few of them; the largest is the Japan Liberation Front but they haven't done anything noteworthy since the Miracle of Itsukushima. There's also the Yamato Alliance, the Blood of the Samurai, the Crimson Sakuras, to name a few. While they have all attempted attacks against Britannia, they've either gone to ground or were defeated before they could do much damage. The most recent one would be the Crimson Sakuras' attack on Osaka at the end of February that ended in their defeat," Jeremiah reported. "There's also that small terrorist cell that's cropped up in the Shinjuku Ghetto but, ever since they made their first appearance, they've gone to ground. We also know that there is, at least, one cell of the Liberators in Area 11, though we don't know where they are."

"The Liberators?" Prince Lelouch said, pressing his lips together. "Hmm, according to that article I read about my brother Schneizel, they've never been defeated before he defeated them in Cambodia. But they haven't made any moves in Area 11, have they?"

"As far as we know, no they haven't not," Jeremiah said.

"Hmm. And that new cell that appeared in the Shinjuku Ghetto. Have they made any moves?"

"No."

"Then it seems that there isn't any threats, at the moment, but that could change," Prince Lelouch said, looking back at the reports on his desk. "We will need to keep an eye out. I want some men to keep a discreet eye on the Shinjuku Ghetto for any signs of that terrorist cell that's located there. They are closer to us and we should be able to keep a better eye on them without drawing attention."

"Understood, Your Highness."

 **. . .**

 _June 24, 2016_

 _Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11_

Tara wandered around the Shinjuku Ghetto, heading toward the abandoned building at the ghetto's edge. She was on her way to meet up with B.B. as he had contacted her earlier, telling her that he wanted a report on what was going on. She was thankful for the distraction; she was bored out of her mind.

Naoto Kozuki, the leader of the small resistance cell that had formed in the Shinjuku Ghetto over a month earlier, hadn't been giving her any interesting assignment to do. He mostly told her to meet up with people that he needed to speak to, like that Reyes guy that Tara could tell was from one of the Spanish-speaking Areas—he was also very good at giving nothing away, not in his facial expressions, not in his body language, not in his words—or to help organize the supplies that were brought in but not where to put them.

He didn't trust her. She was sure of that and it frustrated her to no end that he refused to trust her and give her some more difficult assignments, something that would help her to actually be more _helpful_ to his resistance. She had even offered to do somethings that would help out, like assassinating Prince Lelouch, but Naoto had told her that she couldn't.

She just didn't understand why he wouldn't let her. So what if Britannia brought their wrath down upon Japan? If it meant getting one step closer to destroying the Royal Family then why should anyone care about what the consequences would be?

But he was her leader at the moment and, due to B.B.'s orders, she had to continue to act like a loyal member of his resistance until she could find the information that B.B. wanted. Besides, fighting against Britannia would be interesting, even if it wasn't fighting against the Royal Family, who were her main enemies.

She neared the abandoned building and, after looking around to see if anyone was following her, she made her way into the building. She mused that, even though the abandoned building was probably only going to be used every now and then, B.B. still had cleaned it.

 _OCD_ , she mused as she made her way deeper into the building.

"You got here earlier than I expected," B.B. said as he stepped out of the shadows, his amber eyes fixed on her.

"Yeah, well, I didn't have anything better to do anyway," Tara huffed. "I've literally got _nothing_ to do while part of this resistance. The leader just won't _give_ me anything worthwhile to do."

"That is most likely because he doesn't trust you," B.B. said.

"Well, why not? I haven't done _anything_ to prove that I am untrustworthy," Tara protested.

"Is that really so? Do you remember what you told me about just _how_ you got to join this new resistance?"

Tara frowned. "You think because I blackmailed them into letting me join, that's why they don't trust me?" she echoed incredulously. "That's stupid."

B.B. sighed. "You have a lot to learn, Tara. Remember how I told you that you shouldn't have done that when you told me that? This is the reason why. They will naturally distrust you because you forced your way into their resistance through use of blackmail. After all, it means that you, basically, have their lives in your hands and could easily throw it away if you want to and that could mean their deaths. They aren't going to trust you because of that."

"But they wouldn't let me join if I hadn't done that," Tara protested.

"Then you should have persuaded them using another method. You could have told them that you had information, for example, or told them that you knew of somewhere they could hide out if their current base is compromised. Basically, if you had offered them something in return for letting you join then they may have been more willing to let you join," B.B. said. He folded his arms across his chest as he added, "Though what's done is done. You're just going to have to figure out a way to earn their trust, and insuring that you won't go back on your word will help in that endeavor."

Tara huffed but nodded.

"Now what have you found out?" B.B. asked.

"Well, I know that Prince Lelouch vi Britannia is going to be the new commander of the 11th Regiment but, other than that, not much else," Tara said.

"Hmm, Prince Lelouch being a military commander? I wasn't expecting that. Then again, I wasn't entirely sure what would happen with him once his and Princess Nunnally's survival was announced," B.B. mused thoughtfully.

"Why can't I just sneak into the settlement and kill him?" Tara complained. "Naoto wouldn't let me but you want the Royal Family dead too, so you should approve it."

"Do you honestly believe that you will be able to get into the Tokyo Military Base? Or the Viceroy's Palace? The Museum didn't have nearly as much security as those two places do. You wouldn't get within ten feet of Prince Lelouch before getting killed yourself," B.B. said.

"Then…Then let me go after Princess Nunnally," Tara said quickly.

"Do you even know where she is?"

Tara fell silent because she didn't know where Princess Nunnally was. "I know that she had been attending Ashford Academy before she rejoined the Royal Family but I don't know where she is now but I can find out!" Tara said determinably. "I'll find out where she is and then I'll find her and kill her!"

B.B. raised an eyebrow. "Your arrogance is still as strong as ever. I will always remind you of this; your arrogance is going to get you killed one of these days," he said. "You shouldn't run headlong into the situation without first thinking it through."

"I'm done thinking it through. That princess should've died at the museum and I'm gonna find her and finish the job," Tara said stubbornly, not really hearing B.B.'s words as she turned around and left the abandoned building.

 **. . .**

B.B. watched Tara go and shook his head. "She is going to get herself killed," he murmured.

… _It's your own fault for choosing to create a contract with her…_

B.B. snorted. "Like you were any help in fulfilling my wish," he said, folding his arms across his chest as he walked toward the back door of the abandoned building and walked out of it. "And she does share the same goal as me."

… _That's true, I suppose, though I'm not really sure if her vendetta is really against the Emperor as yours is. I mean, you never did tell her that your vendetta was_ mostly _against him, rather than his children…_

"Mm, maybe I did let her believe that my vendetta was against the entire Royal Family," B.B. mused. "But it kind of is."

… _Oh, I know. But if you had the choice between killing the Emperor and killing one of his children, you would easily go for the first option…_

"So would she."

… _Though she doesn't know about your hatred for_ him _either_ …

"She doesn't know that there are more people like me out there," B.B. said with a shrug as he wandered toward the edge of the Shinjuku Ghetto. "And you should know better than anyone that I have every right to hate _him._ He was the one who caused your death, he and his damn brother!"

… _It was mostly Charles's fault. He was the one who lead that attack…_

"He was there and it was because of him that I was incapacitated and couldn't protect you." B.B. felt tears well up in his eyes and he quickly wiped them away, feeling a surge of sympathy.

… _It wasn't your fault, dear uncle, it was his and you'll get your revenge, though I don't know if that girl is really the one who will grant you your greatest wish…_

"Perhaps not," B.B. said softly. "But I have a contract with her. Whether she will fulfill her end of it or not is still up for debate."

… _Yes it is…_

B.B. smiled a little to himself. "You're very talkative today, Daniel," he said.

… _I'm bored. What else is new?_...

B.B. chuckled lightly to himself as he walked out of the Shinjuku Ghetto.

 **. . .**

Tara wasn't really paying much attention to where she was walking and so she didn't see the boy until she ran into him, knocking both of them off their feet. "Sorry," she said, not really meaning it as she gazed down at the gray-eyed Japanese boy she was lying on. He looked around fifteen years old, though he was slightly taller than her.

"It's fine. Um, could you get off me please?" The boy said.

Tara scrambled off the boy and he pushed himself to his feet, dusting himself off and looking around for something. Tara spotted a bag with a hardcover book in it laying on the ground and reached out to pick it up.

"Are you looking for this?" she asked, stuffing the book back into the bag, though not before catching the title. _Nightfall_. "Oh, this is the novel that the movie's based on, isn't it?"

"Um, yeah," the boy said, taking the bag back. "I decided that I wanted to read the book before watching the movie."

"That's cool. I haven't read it yet but the movie looks interesting."

"Yeah, it does," the boy said, a nervous smile on his lips. "Um, I'm Fuyuki by the way."

"Tara," Tara said, taking his hand and shaking it. "So you live here?"

"Yeah, not far from here actually. I should be getting back though. I was supposed to be back fifteen minutes ago. Bye, Tara, it was nice meeting you," Fuyuki said and jogged away.

"Bye," Tara called, watching the Japanese boy jog away, a faint smile on her lips. _He's not bad looking,_ she mused as she began making her way back to the Kozuki Resistance Base.

 **. . .**

 _Movie Theater, Tokyo Settlement_

Shirley put some popcorn into her mouth as she watched the final scenes of the dark fantasy movie that she and Lelouch had been watching. It had been rather interesting and was based on a novel that was a rewrite of the Shakespeare play _Hamlet._ She glanced at Lelouch who was watching the final scene with a thoughtful expression on his face as he sipped at his drink. _Well, he seems to have enjoyed it,_ she thought with a small smile.

The credits began rolling and Lelouch stood up, turning to Shirley and holding out a hand. She, blushing, took his hand and stood up as well. "Did you enjoy the movie, Lulu?" she asked.

"An interesting take on the play itself," Lelouch mused. "It was a good movie. Did you enjoy it?"

"Yeah, though a bit too bloody for my tastes," Shirley admitted as the two of them headed toward the entrance, Lelouch drawing the hood of his jacket over his head. Even though it was hot outside, he had done this because he didn't want to go around with bodyguards but he also didn't want anyone to know he was there. Shirley understood that he was just being cautious; the media would jump on him the instant they saw him, especially since he didn't have any guards with him.

The orangette then bit her lip and turned to Lelouch, suddenly nervous. She had been thinking about asking Lelouch to dinner again after the movie but, now that the movie was over, her nerves were starting to get the best of her. She swallowed and tried again, reminding herself that Lelouch was still just Lulu.

The same Lulu that she often got on the case of whenever he skipped school to gamble.

The same Lulu who always helped out with Milly's grand schemes even when he didn't enjoy them himself.

The same Lulu who had become one of her closest friends.

"So, um, do you…maybe…um…would you…uh…like to go out to dinner with me again? Um, maybe Sunday night?" She asked, forcing herself not to ask the question in a rush so that he could understand her.

He turned to her, amethyst eyes thoughtful. "I don't believe I have anything planned for Sunday. All right, Shirley," he said.

"G…Great," Shirley said, stunned. She couldn't believe that she was on the verge of going on _three_ dates with Lelouch.

"Do you have any specific place in mind?" Lelouch asked as they walked toward where the car was parked; this time, Lelouch had opted for taking them to the movie theater in a discreet-looking car rather than a limo to avoid drawing attention to him.

"Um, no, not really," Shirley admitted.

Lelouch hummed in thought.

Briefly, Shirley recalled what she found out about her crush, that he knew how to cook and bake. "So, um, Nunnally mentioned that you knew how to cook and bake," she said.

Lelouch glanced at her. "Yeah, I taught myself and learned from watching my mother. When Sayoko wasn't feeling well, I cooked for Nunnally. It's actually not that hard and I enjoy it sometimes," he said.

"Oh, cool," Shirley said. "I actually prefer home-cooked meals. Mom's a good cook herself, though Dad can't cook to save his life. I think he's burned water before."

Lelouch's lips quirked in amusement and then his eyes grew thoughtful as they reached the car. He opened the door in the back and Shirley climbed in before he climbed in behind her; their driver was already seated in the driver's seat with a newspaper in his hands. He folded it and put it away.

"Where to, Your Highness?" he asked.

"Miss Fenette's apartment please," Lelouch said and turned to Shirley thoughtfully as the car started up and began to pull away from the movie theater. "What's your favorite kind of food, Shirley?"

Shirley blinked, surprised by the question. "Um, I actually like pasta, can't decide which one I like the most though," she admitted.

"Hmm." Lelouch's eyes took on a thoughtful look and Shirley frowned, wondering what her friend was thinking about. He blinked and then looked at her. "How does seven Sunday night sound?"

"T…That sounds good to me," Shirley said.

"All right. Will you be at your Dad's place?"

"Yeah."

"Then I'll pick you up there."

Shirley smiled a little. "Okay," she said.

 **. . .**

 _June 25, 2016_

 _Osaka Military Base, Osaka Settlement_

Major General Samuel Pyne yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he gazed at the mountain of paperwork that was left on his desk. He turned his attention to his second and best friend, Brigadier General Robert Silvers, who was sorting through his own papers. "I think that's enough for today. We don't have much left anyway, Rob," he said. He glanced at the clock; it was eleven. "You should try and get some sleep."

"I think so too, otherwise I'm gonna fall asleep right here," Rob said with a faint smile as he put the papers back into the folder and closed it before standing up. He stretched, cracking his back, and turning to Sam. "Get some sleep yourself, Sam."

"I will. I just want to finish going over this report and then I'll go to bed," Sam said, turning his dark-gray gaze to the paper in front of him.

"Goodnight, Sam," Rob said.

"Goodnight, Rob."

Rob left the office.

About half an hour later passed by and Sam was practically passing out on his desk when his radio began to crackle. He picked it up and turned it on. "What is going on?" he asked with a frown.

" _Sir, this is Major Blackstone. We've been infiltrated! There are terrorists in the base and they…_ " The rest of what the major was going to say was interrupted by static as the communication building erupted in a pillar of flames.

Sam swore. "How the hell did terrorist get inside the military base?" he muttered and stuffed his radio away. He grabbed his rifle and darted out of the office. With communications down, he was forced to seek out his men in person.

He came across Rob first and was relieved that his friend was all right. "What's the situation, Rob?" Sam asked.

"I don't know the entire story. There's fighting in the lower levels of this building and the terrorists have already taken out the communication building as we expected. According to Major Blackstone, they're heading this way. He and his men are trying to hold them off and he told me to give you an update on the situation," Rob explained rapidly, his own rifle was in his hands and he looked out of breath.

Another explosion sounded and Sam moved to the window, watching as the barracks erupted into flames and swore, hoping that the soldiers had gotten out before that explosion.

Another explosion sounded followed by the hail of bullets and Rob turned, frowning as he moved to the mouth of the hall. "Damn it, they got through Blackstone. We're outnumbered. Sam, you gotta get out of here and get word to General Andon. I'll hold 'em off," Rob said.

"No," Sam said firmly, moving to Rob's side and pushing his friend behind him. " _I'll_ hold 'em off. I was the one given command of this military base and I'm not leaving my men. Go and get word to General Andon, Rob. I'll be fine."

"Sir…"

"Go! That is an order!"

Rob bit his lips but saluted. "Yes, sir," he said and darted off.

Sam made sure that his rifle was fully loaded before he clicked the safety off. He may die that night but he was going to take as many of these sons of bitches as he possibly could with him before he did.

 **. . .**

 _June 26, 2016_

 _General Andon's Office, Tokyo Military Base_

General Seth Andon, Commander-in-Chief of the 11th Division, stared in shock at the battered and bruised form of Brigadier General Robert Silvers. It was about ten in the morning and Andon hadn't expected his day to start out with the arrival of the second in command of the Osaka Military Base who was injured and seemed barely able to stay standing.

And his message was even more shocking.

"They attacked the military base itself successfully?" he repeated.

"Yes, sir," Silvers said tiredly. "I was able to get away and was able to get a chunk of our men out of there but we lost the majority of the men stationed there. I don't know what the situation is now though."

"We will need to send a scout into the settlement itself to get answers for that," Andon murmured to himself. He grounded his teeth together as his mind went through the possibilities of what to do next. "Do we know who was behind it?" He asked.

"The Crimson Sakuras, sir," Silvers said without preamble. "I recognized their insignia when they attacked."

"I see. Hmm, they must have thought up a new strategy after they lost to me and it seems to have worked," Andon murmured, tapping his fingers thoughtfully against his desk. Osaka was in Southern Area 11, therefore, according to the decision he had made in regards to the 11th Regiment, this would fall under their jurisdiction.

It was going to be interesting to see just how Prince Lelouch handled his first battle.

Prince Schneizel had told Andon that Prince Lelouch was incredibly clever and an up-and-coming strategist and that he needed to garner his own reputation and prestige within the military. That was why Schneizel and Andon had agreed to let Prince Lelouch handle any terrorist matters in Central and Southern Area 11, to see just how strong of a military commander he would be.

"Go and see to your injuries, Brigadier General," Andon said, waving his hand to dismiss him. "And ensure that your men are seen to as well."

"And the situation at Osaka, sir?" Silvers asked, brow furrowed in worry.

"Will be resolved, Brigadier General, I assure you, it will," Andon said. _Now let's see if Prince Schneizel's confidence in Prince Lelouch's abilities isn't misplaced,_ he thought as he reached for the phone.

 **. . .**

 _Meeting Hall, Tokyo Military Base_

It was around noon when the order for the 11th Regiment, otherwise known as the Black Knights, to gather in the meeting hall was received. Suzaku wasn't entirely sure what was going on, only that Lelouch sounded urgent. Something must have come up.

"So anyone know what this is about?" Tadashi asked, glancing at the friends that had gathered in the meeting hall.

"Probably our first mission," Lila said.

"Probably," Rayne agreed. "I mean, with the terrorist threat as bad as it is, I wouldn't be surprised that we're being called to the frontlines as soon as we are."

Gottwald called for the attention of the regiment and everyone stood at attention and saluted as Lelouch strode to stand in front of them, his face impassive but his amethyst eyes were cool and calculating. "At ease," Lelouch said and the regiment relaxed. "The Black Knights' have their first task before them. As tasked by General Andon, we are to focus on engaging and defeating any terrorist threats that appear in Central and Southern Area 11. Our first mission has come in the form of a cowardly strike by a terrorist organization known as the Crimson Sakuras."

"The Crimson Sakuras have successfully launched an attack on the military base at Osaka, successfully capturing, or possibly killing, Major General Samuel Pyne, and forcing our comrades at arms to retreat back here, severally wounded and with no knowledge of what exactly is happening in Osaka. I will not lie to any of you. Due to the lack of intelligence about just what is waiting for us at Osaka, the fight will not be an easy one and the odds are very likely going to be against us. Thus, the situation is very dire."

His eyes set in determination as he went on, "However, even if the situation looks dire, the fact remains that our comrades, and possibly the people of Osaka itself, are in need of our assistance. We are tasked with taking out the terrorists and we shall do so but not because we were ordered to do so. Terrorists are a stain upon the country that must be removed. They threaten the stability of the nation, they threaten the peace, and they threaten the lives of innocent civilians and soldiers who are simply trying to protect their country and their families." He gestured to all of them dramatically. "We fight these terrorists because we desire the peace that they are preventing from existing. We want a gentle world for our families and our friends and they seek to destroy our chances at a happy future. We must not, no,"—he clenched his hand into a fist and his voice rose—"we _will not_ let them have their way any longer! We will fight these terrorists with every fiber of our being! Not just for ourselves, not just for the Empire, but also for our friends and our families who are counting on us!"

Suzaku smiled at his old friend's speech as he cheered along with the rest of the regiment. He couldn't help it. Lelouch really was a charismatic leader and his words had empowered everyone, getting them fired up for the battle that lay ahead of them, even if they knew little of what they would be facing.

"We leave in one hour," Lelouch declared. "Dismissed!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" The regiment all said at once and filed out to get ready to head out to their first battle.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: and that was chapter 14!**

 **Lelouch: (sharpening flaming machete)**

 **Kallen: dare I ask why?**

 **Blaze: the OC Hozumi Murkami**

 **Kallen: I see**

 **Suzaku: (walks into the computer room carrying a chocolate cake in his hands) Shirley told me to give this to you for your birthday, Lelouch**

 **Blaze: aww, how sweet (eyes chocolate cake)**

 **Lelouch: no (puts down flaming machete and takes chocolate cake from Suzaku)**

 **Blaze: what the heck? I didn't say anything!**

 **Lelouch: you were thinking it**

 **Blaze: no I wasn't**

 **Lelouch: yes, you were (walks off to go eat his birthday cake)**

 **Suzaku: wait, I want a slice (takes off after Lelouch)**

 **Blaze: (chuckles) anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	15. Prelude to a Storm

**Welp, eighteen people reviewed the last chapter.**

 **Bakura: seventeen people reviewed the last chapter, you foolish mortal. One reviewer reviewed twice.**

 **It counts.**

 **Bakura: it does not**

 **Whatever. Anyway, thank you to _harlequin320, DYnoJackal19, ZeroUnleashed, Shadow-Shinobi666, ewertondragon, , Blacksword Zero, MasterDangel,Demons Anarchy of Pride, B-Kira, Shimmering-Sky, Stickman6969, F.C.C.S., Scarease, OBSERVER01, Doommajor (both times),_ and _Grimraven.V_ for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

 **Anyway, this is chapter 15, the 18 page, over 10 word part one of a three-part chapter, and this may be my last update until the New Year. I might update again before then but I make no promises.**

 **Also, I'm three reviews away from 200 reviews! Whoever gives me my 200th review will get a shoutout in the next chapter.**

 **I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _August 20, 2010_

 _Mitaka, Japan_

 _Lelouch and Suzaku, the latter carrying Nunnally, stumbled onto the street and Lelouch grimaced as he took in the number of bodies that littered the area, all of them riddled with bullet wounds or crushed. The buildings that lined the streets were in a state of ruin, collapsing inwardly or already in piles of rubble. However, they weren't alone._

 _"Hey, look, there are kids here," one man said._

 _"And look! One of 'em's Japanese but that girl! She's Britannian and so is that other boy," another said._

 _A tall figure with short-cropped dark blonde hair and piercing green-blue eyes gazed at them and then gestured to his men. "Kill them all," he ordered._

 _"But that boy is Japanese and…he looks like Genbu!"_

 _"He's a traitor because he's associating with Britannians. Kill them. That is an order."_

 _"Yes sir."_

 _Suzaku grabbed Lelouch, dove back into the alley, and bolted back the way they had come, weaving to avoid the barrage of bullets that came flying at them. Nunnally suddenly screamed in pain and Lelouch_ _whipped his head around_ _to lock eyes with the man who had just shot his sister._ _A_ _methyst eyes met green-blue briefly before Suzaku shoved Lelouch through an open side door. Lelouch went tumbling down a short flight of stairs, landing in a heap at the bottom with a wince while Suzaku dived through the door after him, shutting the door rapidly, and running down the stairs._

 _Lelouch got to his feet and the two ten-year-olds immediately began searching for a place to hide. They had ended up in a basement and there was a set of stairs that led to the first floor of the building; they both bolted up it, finding themselves in a kitchen. They quickly looked around and darted into the storage room and Suzaku closed the door behind him._

 _Placing Nunnally on the ground and crouching down next to the door, he pressed his ear against it while Lelouch ripped off a piece of his shirt and immediately began cleaning the bullet wound in Nunnally's arm. Nunnally was sobbing and Lelouch gently wiped the tears away as he did his best to clean the wound._

 _"It's okay, Nunnally. It's okay," he whispered._

 _"It hurts," Nunnally whimpered._

 _"I know. Here, put pressure on it. I'll be right back," Lelouch whispered, placing Nunnally's little hand on the piece of shirt that he had placed on the wound. He got to his feet and looked around the storage room._

 _He found a small case of bottled water and darted over to it, ripping the packaging and then pulling out a bottle before darting back to Nunnally's side._

 _"This is going to sting, Nunnally," Lelouch whispered, unscrewing the cap to the water bottle and gently removing both Nunnally's hand and the piece of shirt from the bullet wound._

 _Nunnally clenched her teeth as Lelouch poured the water on the wound, trying her hardest not to make a sound, though a few tears of pain fell from her closed eyes and Lelouch winced._

 _He then started looking around for anything that could be used to bandage the wound. He paused when a cleaner handkerchief was held out to him. He turned to find Suzaku smiling a little. "It's not that clean but it should work," he said._

 _"Thank you," Lelouch said, taking it and then gently wrapping it around Nunnally's wound._

 _Leaving Nunnally to rest against a rack of stale bread, he moved over to Suzaku's side and pressed his ear against the door as well to see if they were still being followed. He heard voices on the other side, the one belonging to that green-blue-eyed man was the only one he recognized._

 _"Check the storage room. That's where the blood trail stops."_

 _"Yes, sir."_

 _Suzaku moved away from the door and Lelouch followed suit, gently picking up Nunnally and carrying her after Suzaku toward the back of the storage room. They crouched, huddled together, in a crevice created by a rack of bread, a rack of spices, and a cabinet of canned goods. The door to the storage room opened and a flashlight illuminated the darkness. Suzaku crouched in front of Lelouch and Nunnally, using his body to shield them from sight while trying to keep himself out of sight._

 _Nunnally shifted a little and then stiffened as she accidentally brushed her shoulder against a rack, sending it tumbling to the ground._

 _"There!" The man that had noticed the falling rack darted forward, only to find himself on the receiving end of a kick to the stomach. Suzaku immediately adopted a familiar martial arts pose, glaring at the men as if prepared to take all of them on by himself._

 _Lelouch wrapped his arms around his little sister, trying to calm her down as the men hurried toward them. Suzaku managed to take out another one with a spin kick to the groin but was grabbed by another. He struggled to escape but the man held on tightly. The green-blue-eyed man and one other then walked over to join them, a cool smile on the former's face._

 _"Well, well, you led us on a little merry chase, brats," he said coolly._

 _Lelouch shifted so that he was in front of Nunnally, glaring and trying hard to quench his fear, for himself, for Suzaku, but mostly for Nunnally._

 _"Time to end this," the green-blue-eyed man said, pointing his gun at Lelouch but, before he could pull the trigger, Suzaku drove his head backwards, slamming it into the chin of the man holding him and then elbowed him sharply in the stomach and landed a kick on the man's thigh. The man dropped him and Suzaku was quick to dart in front of Lelouch, using his body as a shield as he glared at the green-blue-eyed man._

 _"Why do you protect him? He's Britannian! They both are," the green-blue-eyed man snarled, though his gun did lower slightly._

 _Suzaku didn't respond. He just grabbed the spice rack and threw it at the green-blue-eyed man, causing the jars of spices to shatter upon contact with either him or the ground. The man yelped as some of the spices got into his eyes._

 _Suzaku hoisted Lelouch to his feet and Lelouch quickly picked up Nunnally before the two of them, with Nunnally in Lelouch's arms, quickly darted for the door to the storage room. There was a flurry of bullets flying their way but Suzaku grabbed an empty wooden cabinet and yanked it. It toppled but it was enough to catch the flurry of bullets and allow the three children to dart out of the storage room._

 **. . .**

 **15**

 **Prelude to a Storm**

 _June 26, 2016_

 _Bridge, G-1 Base, En Route to Osaka_

One hour after his speech, the Black Knights were leaving the Tokyo Settlement for Osaka. It was still a good couple of hours before they would reach the city, however, and that left Lelouch with nothing to do. He didn't have enough information about the situation at Osaka in order to start planning what to do and so he was bored out of his mind.

He leaned back in his throne on the bridge of the G1 Mobile Base, his chin resting on the palm of his hand, his elbow resting on the armrest, and his legs crossed. All around him, the technicians were hard at work keeping an eye on the systems and ensuring that everything was running smoothly. The Purist Faction was also on the bridge, standing around the bridge, since Jeremiah was also there.

Dimitri was typing away on his computer; when Lelouch found out about Dimitri's superior skills with a computer, he had the olive-green-haired young man transferred to the bridge with orders to search for any information on what was happening in Osaka, as well as information on the Crimson Sakuras themselves.

As he watched everyone work, Lelouch's thoughts drifted to his last talk with his sister. He had spoken to Nunnally before he left, just as he had spoken to Shirley to apologize to the orange-haired girl about having to cancel their date and promising to make it up to her. Shirley had understood and told him to be careful. Nunnally had done the same, though Lelouch knew that she didn't want him to leave. Lelouch didn't like leaving either but he had to; he was a soldier in the Britannian army and commander of the 11th Regiment, newly nicknamed the Black Knights.

Lelouch smiled a little to himself. Nicknaming the 11th Regiment the Black Knights had been a subtle jab at Britannia and he knew it. Legend had it that Black Knights were knights that were often seen as enigmatic and they were not evil, despite common belief, but they were often depicted as treacherous and dangerous and often fighting against the monarchy. He wasn't sure if anyone had gotten the connection yet or not but he stood by his decision.

Besides, there were many ways of viewing black knights after all. After all, some sources say that Black Knights are simply knights who did not swear loyalty to a lord, or had broken their vows. There was also the simple fact that it could just be alluding to Lelouch, himself, being their commander; before he was exiled, he was often considered the Black Prince after all.

However, it was the first explanation that was the real reason why Lelouch had chosen that nickname but he was letting everyone else believe what they wanted to believe and come to their own conclusions. After all, as a prince, Lelouch would _never_ go against Britannia.

Or so the vast majority of Britannia thought.

Lelouch really didn't care what Britannia thought about him though. He didn't even care what the Emperor thought about him. He only really cared about two things; keeping the people he loved and cared about safe, especially from his bastard father, and changing the system of Britannia that was based on Social Darwinism.

"Your Highness?" Dimitri's voice cut through Lelouch's thoughts and he blinked before turning his amethyst gaze to Dimitri.

"Yes?" he said.

"I found some information on the Crimson Sakuras, Your Highness," Dimitri said.

"What have you found out?" Lelouch asked.

"Their leader's name and history right now," Dimitri said. "Shall I pull up his profile for you to review?"

"Yes," Lelouch said, straightening up as Dimitri ran his fingers on the keyboard and the image of a man that Lelouch never thought he would see again appeared on the big screen in front of him. The man was older than when Lelouch last saw him and his dirty-blonde hair was shorter but still falling into his piercing blue-green eyes.

"His name is Hozumi Murkami, Your Highness," Dimitri reported. "Thirty two years old, he was born in Osaka but then came to live in the city of Mitaka that was once part of the Tokyo area before the invasion. When the invasion struck, he lost his entire family in the initial attack but went on to help the Elevens fight back against Britannia. It wasn't until one week before the suicide of Genbu Kururugi and the end of the war that Murkami left Mitaka to join with Kyoshiro Tohdoh and what would later become the Japan Liberation Front. He participated in the Miracle of Itsukushima but disappeared soon after Britannia won the war. He emerged a couple of years later as the leader of the Crimson Sakuras. They've been active for the past four years but have never done anything really noteworthy until a few days ago when they took control of the Osaka Military Base. I haven't been able to find any information on the current situation in Osaka though, Your Highness."

Lelouch listened with only half an ear to Dimitri's report as he continued to gaze at Hozumi Murkami, his eyes narrowed with cool anger as he thought about the last time he had seen those piercing blue-green eyes.

"Your Highness?" Jeremiah said.

Lelouch turned to his second, his eyes still like ice. "I know him," he said and returned his gaze to the profile. "I didn't know his name until today but I know him. Nunnally, Suzaku, and I ran into him during the invasion when we were trying to get to safety. He shot Nunnally in the arm and then tried to kill us but Suzaku risked his life to save ours." He spoke lowly, mostly talking to himself, but Jeremiah heard him anyway.

"You knew Kururugi before the invasion?" Jeremiah said.

"That was the family Nunnally and I had been placed with when we were exiled," Lelouch said simply, studying the profile before turning to Dimitri. "What do you have on the military history of the Crimson Sakuras? I want a report of every reported battle that they had engaged in. Any and all information from those battles will be helpful." By studying Murkami's past battles, Lelouch should be able to paint a clearer picture of just what kind of military leader Murkami was. It might also help him to understand just how Murkami managed to take control of the Osaka Military Base.

And that could explain why Murkami was able to win now even if he hadn't won any of his earlier engagements.

"Yes, Your Highness," Dimitri said. The profile vanished and Dimitri went back to work, his fingers running rapidly across the keyboard as he continued to dig for more information.

"You think that by going through the reports of Murkami's previous engagements, you'll be able to figure out what kind of military leader he is," Jeremiah said. It wasn't a question but Lelouch nodded anyway.

"Yes. One must know the enemy if they are to be successful in defeating the enemy. Besides, isn't it curious just how Murkami was able to defeat Major General Pyne's garrison and take control of the Osaka Military Base when he wasn't able to win any of his previous engagements?" Lelouch asked.

"Perhaps he got lucky," Jeremiah said.

"That is highly unlikely," Lelouch said, resting his chin on his palm again. "No one is lucky enough to actually win such a serious battle, especially not against someone handpicked by General Andon himself. From what little I know about General Andon, he doesn't seem like the kind of person to choose a complete incompetent to be in charge of an entire military base."

"That is so. He isn't like that. He absolutely detests incompetence," Jeremiah mused thoughtfully.

"Tell me, Margrave, what do you know about Major General Pyne?" Lelouch asked.

Jeremiah pressed his lips together in thought. "I've only fought with him and his regiment once about three years ago. He was the second in command of the 7th Regiment and an excellent fighter. He was also one to never run away from the fight and he never left a man behind. He nearly got court martialed because he disobeyed a direct order from Lieutenant General Lanter and went back to retrieve a fallen comrade. Only interference by General Andon prevented that from happening. He took Lanter's spot as commander of the 7th Regiment a few months ago when Lanter retired early due to injury."

"Hmm. He cares about his men then. That most likely means he stayed behind to try and help his men while sending his second to Tokyo to warn General Andon. Though that still doesn't clarify if he was captured or killed," Lelouch said thoughtfully and turned to Dimitri. "Major Duncan, have you found anything?"

"I have found a lot, Your Highness. Is there anything, in particular, you are looking for?" Dimitri asked.

"Yes. Has Murkami ever taken prisoners in any of those engagements?" Lelouch asked.

Dimitri scanned the information on his computer and then nodded. "Twice, Your Highness, but the prisoners never lasted long. According to the reports of a battle that occurred last September and one in July two years ago, the bodies of the men that Murkami's men captured were sent back to the regiment that they had fought against. They had been tortured to death, according to the injuries on those bodies."

"Most likely for information," Lelouch said thoughtfully. "That means that it is likely that Murkami captured Pyne rather than killing him. He would likely want to get information out of Pyne and then kill him."

"From what I know about Pyne, he is also incredibly stubborn. Murkami and his men might have a hard time getting information out of him, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

"Then we will operate under the assumption that Major General Pyne is still alive, for now," Lelouch said.

Jeremiah turned to Lelouch. "What do you plan on doing when we reach Osaka, Your Highness?" he asked.

Lelouch's lips pressed together. "Our first objective is to figure out just what is going on in Osaka. A scout will be needed but, before I decide on that, I need to know more about Murkami's military history." He stood up and turned to Dimitri. "Major Duncan, send everything you found out about his military history to me so that I may review it on my own."

"Yes, Your Highness," Dimitri said and ran his fingers across his keyboard. "They have been sent to your personal computer, Your Highness."

"Good. Margrave, you have the bridge. I will be in my study," Lelouch said and left the bridge, gold-embroidered black cape swirling around his ankles as he walked.

 **. . .**

 _G-1 Base, En Route to Osaka_

Rayne glared out the window at the rain that was streaking the windows and huffed, folding her arms across her chest and flopping onto the ground next to the wall. Kay, who was reading the manual for the Sutherland he would be piloting, glanced at her. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"Rain," Rayne muttered. "Boy am I glad I get to be inside during this. I hate the rain."

Kay's lips twitched. "You're not gonna melt if you're in the rain for more than a few seconds," he said. He paused and added, "Well, you might." He dodged the manual that Rayne chugged at him and chuckled softly.

"Haha, you're a real riot," Rayne scoffed and caught the manual when Kay tossed it back at her and then went back to looking through his manual.

Rayne flipped through the manual as well, though she had already skimmed most of it. She only read the parts that she felt were really important and then skimmed over the rest. Unlike Kay, she didn't really care for reading and she didn't think she needed to read the entire manual. When she spotted the two heading toward her and Kay, though, she found herself turning to a random page and starting to read it.

"Kayden, Rayne," Parker greeted them as he and Gretchen joined them and sat down on the ground across from the twins.

"Can't you see we're busy?" Rayne said scornfully, not taking her eyes off the page she was 'reading'.

Parker snorted. "I know you're not really reading that, Rayne, and I'm positive Kayden's already finished reading the manual twice by now," he said.

Kay sighed but put the manual down. "What do you want, Parker?" he asked.

"I thought we could talk," Gretchen said before Parker could reply. "We really need to talk and clear the air between us."

"Yeah. Look, you're my brother and sister and I just don't understand why you're so hostile towards us," Parker said with a frown.

Rayne sneered at Parker, not believing him for a second. _Of course you know why we're hostile towards you. You have to know. Or are you too arrogant to see that it's your fault to begin with? Yours, Matthias's, Gretchen's, and our parents' fault?_ She thought bitterly and buried her face into the manual, trying to ignore her older siblings.

"I wrote to Mom and Dad and told them that we found you and that you'd joined the military. They haven't written back yet but I'm sure that they're going to be proud of you for your decision," Gretchen said.

"Bullshit," Rayne growled. "They won't give a damn."

"Of course they would," Gretchen said.

"Yeah, like they actually gave a damn when Kay and I were growing up. Oh, wait, no they never did!" Rayne growled and got to her feet, dropping the manual and stalking off. She just couldn't stand to be in the same room as her elder siblings without losing her temper even more so than she already had. She was sure that if she stayed longer with her lying older siblings, she would snap and try and knock their teeth out.

She needed to cool down so she decided to take a walk around the base. She did have free range, just like everyone else did, since she didn't have anything to do at the moment. She hadn't been given any orders and so she would just wander around the base until she calmed down.

Stretching her arms, Rayne folded them behind her head as she left the hangar. She walked around, getting a feel for the layout of the base and focusing on remembering the way back to the hangar. The last thing she wanted to do was get lost and not be able to find the hangar.

She neared the medical wing just as the door opened and Lila stepped out, calling over her shoulder, "Thank you for letting me stay for a bit, Doctor," as she walked.

"Lila?" Rayne said.

Lila turned toward her and smiled. "Hello Rayne. What brings you here?" she asked.

"My siblings decided they wanted to have a _chat_ and I decided that if I stayed there any longer, I was liable to try and punch them in the face," Rayne growled, lowering her arms and crossing them across her chest. "I really can't stand them and I really hate that they think they can just waltz right back into my life and _mend_ our relationship when they never did a damn thing for me and Kay while we were growing up! They never treated us like siblings. They barely even acknowledged that we were there half the time. Sure, it was more times than our dear parents did but still! And now they have the _nerve_ to try and act like our siblings? Fuck that!"

Rayne, realizing that her voice was getting increasingly louder, stopped talking and, once she was sure she wouldn't be shouting, turned to Lila, a faint blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, Lila," she said.

"Don't worry about it," Lila assured her. "You needed to vent and someone to listen to you so I did. That's what friends are for."

Rayne smiled a little. "I've never really had that many friends before," she admitted. "Growing up, no one really wanted to be friends with me, though that was probably because I didn't want to be friends with them. I often got into fights with the other noble kids anyway."

"Yeah, I never really had any friends either growing up. I was too sheltered. I suppose my closest friend was my maid Beth and the bodyguards my parents insisted I have with me," Lila admitted, shifting a little. Neither of them had really talked about their pasts that much while they were in basic training and Rayne wondered why it was that she was talking about it now but she decided that she didn't care. Lila was a good listener and they seemed to have something in common despite growing up in completely different ways.

"At least Father supports my decision to stay in the military. Mother doesn't though," Lila said, sounding sad.

"I'm sure she'll come around," Rayne said, hoping she sounded reassuring.

"Yeah."

Rayne decided to change the subject and glanced at the medical wing. "So why were you in the medical wing anyway? I thought you didn't want to be a doctor."

Lila smiled. "I suppose it's not that I don't want to be a doctor. I just don't want to be stuck in a hospital where it's 'safe'," she said, lifting her fingers and using air quotes on that last word. "Not to mention, reading case studies and books filled with medical jargon hurts my head. Actually learning the stuff through hands-on experience is much better. Though, honestly, the only reason I'm here is because I'm bored and couldn't think of anything else to do."

Rayne chuckled. "I wonder what Lelouch is doing," she said.

"Probably coming up with plans to deal with the Crimson Sakuras when we get to Osaka," Lila said.

"Probably."

 **. . .**

 _Transport Vehicle, En Route to Osaka_

The G-1 Base was surrounded by medical vehicles, motorcades, tanks, armored vehicles, a few knightmare frames, and other vehicles, including the transport that Suzaku and Tadashi was currently riding in. Both of them were glad to be inside since it was raining rather heavily outside. However, Suzaku wasn't happy with the glares he was receiving from the other privates and corporals and specialists who were part of the brigade Suzaku and Tadashi were part of. They were the only Honorary Britannians on that transport and it made the journey very uncomfortable.

But Suzaku did his best to ignore the glares and the whispers that were being aimed at him and his friend. Ever since Lelouch had admitted to personally transferring Tadashi and Suzaku to the 11th Regiment, or the Black Knights as the regiment had taken to calling themselves after Lelouch stated that would, basically, be their nickname, Suzaku had been careful about everything that he did and said. Not only did he not want his actions to result in him getting demoted or, worse, court martialed but he also wanted to prove that he was just as capable as the Britannians that were part of the Black Knights and he didn't want the Black Knights to see Lelouch's decision as a weak one. That would likely destroy any respect the regiment had for Lelouch and, also, make him seem like an incompetent leader.

No military commander could afford to be seen as incompetent.

"I wonder how far we are from Osaka?" Tadashi mused, gazing out the small window of the transport. "We've been traveling for quite a few hours."

"I think we should be getting there soon," Suzaku said. Osaka was only a few hours' drive from Tokyo and they were making pretty good time despite the rain forcing them to go a bit slower to avoid any problems.

"Good. I think my legs are falling asleep from all this sitting," Tadashi huffed, rubbing his calves.

"Would you two damn Elevens be quiet? Some of us are trying to talk here," one of the Britannian soldiers snapped.

"We ain't talking that loud," Tadashi huffed.

"Sorry, sir, we'll be quieter," Suzaku said at the same time.

The soldier just huffed and went back to the quiet conversation he was having with his companion.

Suzaku relaxed against the wall of the transport and gazed out the small window next to him, watching the rain streak the glass. Tadashi had fallen silent and, when he glanced at the other Honorary Britannian, he saw Tadashi relaxing against the wall, eyes closed. "Wake me when we get there," Tadashi murmured.

Suzaku raised an eyebrow but decided not to say anything. It wasn't as if he was the only one who was taking a slight nap while they were traveling. Instead, he just returned his gaze to the rain, watching it fall, his thoughts drifting.

Oddly enough, they went back to Suzaku's time at his home with Lelouch and Nunnally before the invasion. They had spent almost an entire year with Suzaku and his family and, while he and them ended up becoming good friends, Suzaku knew that the majority of the rest of his family hadn't liked them.

His mother certainly hadn't. If it hadn't been for his father—Suzaku shivered at the thought of his father—then Suzaku was sure that Lelouch and Nunnally's time at the Kururugi Shrine would not have been that great.

Kaguya, on the other hand, had easily gotten along with Nunnally and was quick to get along with Lelouch as well. But then Kaguya was usually pretty nice to everyone she met. Suzaku smiled a little; he hadn't spoken to her since he left his family a couple of years ago.

He hadn't left right after the invasion ended but then he hadn't really known where he could go anyway. However, he knew that his entire family practically hated him since they knew that he had killed his father. Taizo Kirihara, one of the members of the Six Houses of Kyoto, had been the one to cover it up and make it look like a suicide. However, his life with his family had been drastically altered as a result of that; his mother hated him and the Six Houses wanted nothing to do with him. The only ones who were still willing to associate with him were Kaguya and Tohdoh; when Tohdoh fled after the invasion ended and Kaguya returned to Kyoto, Suzaku decided that he was leaving as soon as he was old enough to take care of himself.

When he was fifteen, he left, taking what little belongings he had with him and without saying goodbye to anyone, not that his mother would care anyway. His mother had, basically, disowned him anyway. He had saved enough money to rent himself that small apartment on the edge of the Tokyo Settlement and, when he turned sixteen, he enlisted in the military.

All throughout that, Suzaku always clung on to the hope that Lelouch and Nunnally had gotten to safety and he was still relieved that they had, even if Suzaku refused to tell either of them about what _really_ happened when they separated. He didn't want them to know; it was his burden to bear, his guilt that he would have to carry for the rest of his life.

 **. . .**

 _Study, G-1 Base, En Route to Osaka_

Lelouch rubbed his temples as he studied the reports that lay in front of him, his brow furrowed in thought. The battle reports had detailed accounts of the battles, including how the Crimson Sakuras lost and yet none of them were providing any clues as to how the Crimson Sakuras managed to pull off their recent win.

"I'm missing something," Lelouch murmured, studying the reports and scrolling through them again, reading the final outcome and the conclusion of each battle, his lips pursed. "Hmm, perhaps I'm looking in the wrong direction."

According to the reports, each of the battles that Murkami and the Crimson Sakuras engaged in were always reckless full-out assaults with weak defensive lines and left many openings and weaknesses that Britannia exploited. And yet, this most recent battle had been a quick, decisive, subtle strike that took the military base by complete surprise; it was a cowardly act and yet it was also very clever.

And, according to what Lelouch had managed to discover about Murkami, it didn't sound like something he would do at all.

"There's someone else," he realized. "This kind of subtlety doesn't fit in with Murkami's profile nor his previous battles. If this was Murkami, why did it take him so long to realize his original strategy just wasn't going to work?"

"Your Highness?"

Lelouch turned to find Jeremiah standing in the doorway. "Come in, Margrave," he said and the turquoise-haired young man walked into the study, closing the door behind him. "What can I do for you?"

"I just wished to inform you that we have almost reached the Osaka Settlement. I have ordered a halt at the edge of the ghettos and await further orders, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

Lelouch pressed his lips together thoughtfully. "According to the reports I've read about Murkami's previous engagements, theoretically, we could send in a spy and not have to worry about Murkami expecting that. However, in light of Murkami's victory here, I am starting to think that it is not Murkami's plans that we are facing but rather someone else's."

"Why do you believe that?"

"If someone loses a battle against another, the first thing that they should do should they desire to fight against them again is to use what they learned about their enemy in their last engagement against them in their next one," Lelouch said. He gestured to the reports and added, "And yet Murkami didn't do that with _any_ of his engagements with Britannia after his first loss; he just continued to attack them recklessly without even bothering on trying to figure his enemy's strategy out. That is until now. This time, he acted more subtly, somehow exploiting a weakness that allowed him to get into the military base and take it over in the middle of the night, according to Silvers's report anyway."

"So what do you think, Your Highness?" Jeremiah asked.

"We will still need to figure the situation out," Lelouch said, pressing his lips together. "But if we are to send a scout ahead, they will have to be careful and operate under the impression that the enemy may suspect that is what we're going to do."

Jeremiah nodded. "I believe I know someone who will be able to pull this off," he said.

"Then I'll leave that to you. We will make camp here, out of sight of the base, until I have a better understanding of the situation and then I can plan accordingly." He dismissed Jeremiah with a wave of his hand before returning his attention to the reports; he was, essentially, moving into this matter blind and he needed to figure something to do just in case he can't get, at least, an idea of what to expect.

His phone rang and Lelouch picked it up with one hand as he scrolled through the reports again with the other. "This is Prince Lelouch," he said into the phone.

" _Ah, Your Highness,_ " Earl Asplund's voice sounded on the other end as cheerfully as ever.

"Earl Asplund," Lelouch said.

" _Please, call me Lloyd,_ " Asplund said. " _Now, I know we're in the middle of a campaign, but I was thinking that, perhaps, this might be the perfect opportunity to test my_ Lancelot _out in actual combat._ "

Lelouch's brow furrowed. "Since you've never actually been able to test the _Lancelot_ , I'm not sure that it would be a good idea to have its first test be an actual battle where the test pilot is liable to get killed if something goes wrong with the _Lancelot_ ," he said.

" _Nothing will go wrong with my_ Lancelot! _I assure you! All the tests I've run have come back positive and everything, except for the Master Vibration Swords and another weapon that I'm still in the process of completing, is completely functional. It's just never been launched but if my theory is correct then it would be a great asset._ "

"However, this is all riding on your theory being correct, Lloyd," Lelouch said.

" _If your test pilot can sync with my_ Lancelot _then that will prove my theory, Your Highness,_ " Lloyd said. " _He doesn't even have to launch it._ "

Lelouch pressed his lips together, hearing the sheer confidence in Lloyd's voice. Schneizel trusted Lloyd, he would never have included Lloyd in that list of allies he gave to Lelouch if he didn't. "Very well, Lloyd. I will be down in half an hour with my test pilot," he said finally, deciding that he really had nothing to lose by just seeing if Suzaku could sync with the _Lancelot_ and move it without launching it.

" _Great. We'll be waiting, Your Highness,_ " Lloyd said and hung up.

Lelouch put the phone down as well and, standing up, left the study.

 **. . .**

 _Outside the Transport, Outskirts of Osaka_

"Ahh, fresh air," Tadashi said, lifting his face to the overcast sky. The rain had stopped falling by the time the halt had been called and, while the ground was still very muddy, at least they weren't getting soaked.

Turning to face his fellow Honorary Britannian, Tadashi asked, "Have you ever been to Osaka, Suzaku?"

Suzaku shook his head. "No," he admitted.

"Neither have I," Tadashi admitted, stretching and scanning the gathered foot soldiers around and talking with each other quietly. He could see the knightmare pilots taking a break from the cockpits of their knightmare frames and the doctors on the medical transport moving around to see if everyone had enough water to drink. He even saw Rayne, Kay, and Lila standing next to the G-1 Base talking with each other while the older Frost siblings were standing nearby.

"Guess everyone decided to get some fresh air," he mused. He had definitely wanted some fresh air since he hated being cooped up someplace. It wasn't that he got claustrophobic or nothing like that; he just disliked being in an enclosed space.

And he certainly didn't like the glares and insults he got from the soldiers who could benefit from one of Lila's professionalism speeches.

However, Tadashi was used to such racial slurs so he just ignored them. It was different in Tokyo than it was in Sapporo, he had been quick to figure out. In Sapporo, while the Britannians didn't like the Honorary Britannians or the Elevens, they were less vocal about it than the Britannians in the Tokyo Settlement.

"Private Kururugi! Private Akiyama!" A voice called and the two Honorary Britannians turned to find Corporal Yates, the leader of their brigade, stride over to them, a cool sneer on his lips. Yates's racism towards Tadashi and Suzaku was just as bad as Greene's; he always treated Tadashi and Suzaku badly, ever since he was first told that they would be joining his brigade.

"Yes, sir," Tadashi and Suzaku said at the same time, standing at attention and saluting.

"I hear that one of you was talking back to one of your superior officers," Yates said coolly. "That can get you into serious trouble."

Tadashi frowned. He couldn't recall talking back to his superior officers and, judging by the confused look on Suzaku's face, he couldn't either.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, sir, but Private Akiyama and I never spoke back to our superior officers," Suzaku said.

"Are you calling me a liar, Private?" Yates demanded, glaring at him. "You, who shouldn't even _be_ in this regiment? I don't know what His Highness was thinking transferring you but I can hazard a guess. You two probably conned him into doing it, didn't you?"

"Of course not, sir," Suzaku said.

"I think you're lying," Yates said.

"We ain't lying, sir," Tadashi insisted.

The corporal's lips pulled back in a condescending sneer. "That is the only reason why I would think that you would be transferred to this regiment so it must be true," he said.

"Have ya ever considered that we got in here 'cause we got the skills and potential just as Prince Lelouch said, you moron?" Tadashi retorted before he could think about what he was saying or, rather, to whom he was saying these things.

"Tadashi!" Suzaku groaned.

"What did you just call me, you damn Eleven?" the corporal snarled, glaring furiously and grabbing Tadashi's uniform, jerking him closer. "I can and will have you court martialed for this!"

"Ah, please excuse him, sir," Suzaku said quickly.

"Shut up, Eleven. I wasn't talking to you," Yates snapped, still not letting go of Tadashi who, for his part, was just barely managing to curb his fear. He didn't want to get court martialed but he was also pretty sure that no one could get court martialed for calling their superior officer a moron, reprimanded and possibly put on restriction but not court martialed; at least, according to the rules and regulations that was drilled into Tadashi's head during basic training.

He may have hated the classroom instruction course of basic training but that didn't mean that he didn't learn anything. If he wanted to be the best he could be, he needed to know that information.

"I didn't mean that, sir," Tadashi added.

"That doesn't matter. You still insulted your superior officer and you will be court martialed for that," Yates snapped.

"Oh? I do believe that, as your commanding officer, _I_ should be the one to decide that."

At the sound of Lelouch's familiar voice, the two Honorary Britannians and the one corporal turned to find Lelouch standing there, watching them with patiently impassive eyes, one eyebrow quirked as he regarded the corporal.

Yates quickly let go of Tadashi and stood at attention, saluting with his fist crossed over his heart and Tadashi and Suzaku quickly followed suit. "Your Highness," the three of them said at once.

"At ease," Lelouch said, walking over to join them, his gaze still fixed on Yates as the three soldiers relaxed. "Now, what seems to be the problem here?"

"This…Eleven insulted me, Your Highness," Yates said.

"And you deemed a single insult is worthy of a court-martial?" Lelouch said. "That is worth a reprimand at most."

"He's a damn Eleven!"

"And did I not tell you that I would not allow any acts of prejudice or discrimination within this regiment? It may have been a week but surely you haven't forgotten that this quickly?" Lelouch asked. "Therefore, Private Akiyama's actions warrant a reprimand and nothing more. I will handle it myself. You are dismissed, corporal."

Yates, looking like he had just sucked on a lemon, snapped a sharp salute. "Yes, Your Highness," he said and walked away.

Lelouch turned to gaze at Tadashi and Suzaku. "Let me guess, you spoke without thinking again?" he said. It was a rhetorical question but Tadashi answered anyway.

"Yes, Your Highness, and I'm sorry," he said.

"It's not to me to whom you should be apologizing, though I suspect that Corporal Yates won't listen to you if you tried to apologize to him," Lelouch said and Tadashi could see a gleam of disappointment in his amethyst eyes. "Though you are going to have to work on thinking before you say anything, especially around those who are like Yates and refuse to act professional."

"Maybe we should sick Lila on him," Tadashi mused.

Lelouch remained serious as he said, "I expect everyone to act professional and that includes you, Private. I will let you off with a warning. Do not let this happen again."

"Yes, Your Highness," Tadashi said, chastised. It wasn't so much Lelouch's words that really struck him, it was the disappointment in his eyes; that hurt more than anything because it reminded Tadashi that he wouldn't be in a high-ranked regiment had it not been for Lelouch. He would have never had the chance to reach his full potential or show off his skills had it not been for Lelouch.

He felt like a child again.

"I won't let it happen again, Your Highness," he vowed, crossing his fist over his heart and he wouldn't. He was going to try his hardest to ensure that Lelouch wouldn't regret personally transferring him to the 11th Regiment.

"See that you don't, Private. You're dismissed. Private Kururugi, come with me," Lelouch said.

"Yes, sir," Suzaku said and followed after Lelouch as the prince turned around and walked away.

Tadashi watched them go in confusion but decided it wasn't his business.

 **. . .**

 _Outside the Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy_

Kallen had been attending a student council meeting when her brother called. She had been quick to excuse herself. "I have to take this. It's my doctor," she had said, forcing her voice to sound meek as she opened the phone.

"Of course. Go ahead. We can handle things here," Shirley had said with a friendly smile.

Now Kallen was standing in between the main building and the student council clubhouse with her phone resting against her ear and her eyes keeping an eye out for anyone who might listen in on her conversation. "I'm here," she said softly. "Is everything all right?"

" _For the moment, everything is,_ " Naoto said. " _But my spy has found something that Clovis has been working on. According to my spy, Clovis has been working on this for a while now and he managed to get a look at it. It looks like a gas canister and my spy thinks that Clovis's scientists are creating a poison gas._ "

"A poison gas?" Kallen whispered, stunned that they would do such a thing and then she reminded herself that they were Britannian. Of course Britannians would do something like this. "What are we going to do?"

" _Until I can confirm that it is poison gas and that it's ready to be used, we can't do anything. If we tried to take it now, we could risk releasing it on the whole settlement and that would be a bloodbath,_ " Naoto said. " _I told my spy to keep an eye on the scientists but, truth be told, that wasn't the main reason why I called you._ "

"Why did you call then?" Kallen asked.

" _Reyes's group wants to speak to us again. They are considering supplying us and, Kallen, they're_ powerful _, even more powerful than the Japan Liberation Front and they're actually willing to help us out. Reyes just contacted me and told me that he had convinced his boss to help us and now he wants to meet with me personally._ "

"Who are they?" Kallen asked, wondering what group out there was even more powerful than the Japan Liberation Front.

" _The Liberators_."

Kallen's eyes widened because the knowledge that the _Liberators_ were willing to supply and support Naoto's Resistance was something she had not expected. The main reason why she hadn't thought the Liberators, whom she knew was more powerful than the JLF, would support them was because she just couldn't believe that they would waste their time recruiting a small resistance cell like her brother's.

" _I want you to come with me to speak with them, Kallen,_ " Naoto said. " _I don't believe that it's going to be dangerous and you did say that you wanted a more active role in the resistance and you've met and talked with Reyes before. You may be able to help me figure out if I can trust him or not._ "

"What about _her_?" Kallen didn't even bother on saying Tara's name. She still didn't trust the aqua-haired girl in the slightest.

" _I don't trust her enough to invite her to this meeting,_ " Naoto said.

"I still say we should kick her to the curb," Kallen huffed. "Useful or not, she's an annoying menace." Tara got on Kallen's nerves a lot; they were often stuck together on simple recon missions or speaking with contacts to set up meetings or retrieving supplies to hand off to Sugiyama and Yoshida and Tara always succeeded in driving Kallen up the wall. She was too cheerful with that fake ass smile that she always wore; she always complained about not getting to do anything worthwhile. Hell, she had even attempted to use her blackmail against the resistance to force Naoto to sanction the assassination of Princess Nunnally.

When Kallen had found out that Tara wanted to kill Princess Nunnally, from her own lips since she had ranted about how it was stupid that Naoto wouldn't let her do that and take care of the threat, she had been stunned with disbelief. She couldn't help but wonder why the aqua-haired girl would want to harm Nunnally. Nunnally was an absolute sweetheart, so much so that Kallen had given up on trying to see her as an enemy; she just couldn't, not someone as innocent and sweet as Nunnally.

Nunnally's brother was another matter but, so far, since they didn't know of what kind of a military commander Lelouch was, they were leaving him alone.

But Nunnally hadn't done anything to warrant Tara's hatred.

She may be the daughter of the Emperor but Kallen just couldn't see how a blind and crippled girl could be a threat.

And, if she was being completely honest with herself, Kallen had become friends with Nunnally just as she had with the Student Council; Nunnally and the Student Council had proven that not all Britannians were bad and not all Britannians were threats.

Her brother had summed it up pretty neatly when he spoke with Kallen and Tara a few days earlier.

 _"Judging all Britannians based on the actions of a few is to act like Britannia who judge all the Japanese based on the actions of a few."_

Kallen had gotten the point.

Tara hadn't.

She had just scoffed at Naoto's words, called him a moron, stated that all Britannians were the same and the Royal Family was the worst of them all, and then had stalked off.

Kallen had a feeling the Royal Family had done something to her personally to get her to hate them as much as she did.

" _Unfortunately, with the blackmail she holds over our heads, we really can't do that. I'm going to keep her out of this meeting though, and have Inoue keep an eye on her. She might decide to go after Princess Nunnally. It's a good thing she doesn't know where the princess is,_ " Naoto said.

"Yeah, that is a good thing," Kallen said, since she knew that Nunnally couldn't protect herself.

" _And, as I've already told her, I'm not stupid enough to attack the Royal Family directly. She just doesn't seem to understand that,_ " Naoto said. " _All right, back on subject. The meeting is going to be in two days at Warehouse 3 near the docks. If you have a Student Council meeting that day, you can just head straight over after the meeting, if not, I can have Ohgi meet you a block from the Stadtfeld Manor. Make sure to disguise yourself. I don't want anyone to recognize you. Me and the men I'm bringing with me will go in disguise as well._ "

"I understand," Kallen said and, after saying goodbye to her brother, closed her phone and slipped it into her pocket. She then turned around and headed back into the Student Council Clubhouse.

 **. . .**

 _A.S.E.E.C's Mobile Base, Outskirts of Osaka_

Suzaku followed Lelouch as he led the way toward a small base that was situated next to the G-1. He was confused, wondering why Lelouch had wanted him to come with him, nor where they were exactly. Nor was he sure what to make of the pale-blue-haired young man who was grinning like a kid in a candy store and the navy-blue haired young woman who wore an exasperated look in her eyes that met Lelouch in the main lobby of the small base.

"Earl Lloyd, Major Croomy," Lelouch greeted them.

"Please, no 'Earl' business, it's just Lloyd, Your Highness," Lloyd said with a large grin. "So where is he? Ow!" Lloyd doubled over from the elbow Major Croomy had just planted into his gut.

"Excuse him, Your Highness, he is just really excited to finally get a test pilot that might actually be able to do something with the _Lancelot_ ," Croomy said with a faint smile.

Suzaku blinked. _Test pilot?_ Lancelot _?_ He glanced at Lelouch in confusion, hoping the prince would clear matters up for him.

Lelouch caught the look but simply gestured him forward. "This is Private Suzaku Kururugi. He is the one who scored a perfect score on the knightmare simulation. If your theory is correct, Lloyd, then I have no doubt he will be the perfect test pilot for your _Lancelot_ ," he said.

"Then why don't we test it out?" Lloyd said with a grin, straightening up, though his lips were still pressed in a pained grimace. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a white-and-gold activation key and held it to Suzaku who was staring in confusion.

"Wait, what?" he said hopelessly lost.

Lelouch chuckled, casting a sidelong glance at him. "You are going to be the test pilot for Lloyd's seventh generation knightmare frame prototype, the _Lancelot_ ," he said.

Suzaku's jaw dropped and he quickly composed himself but he was still in shock. He wanted to protest, wanted to telling Lelouch that he couldn't do this. He wasn't Britannian. Numbers didn't pilot knightmare frames. It wasn't against the law but it's never been done before. However, he quickly clamped his jaw shut because, at the moment, it wasn't Lelouch his old friend that was standing by him, it was Lelouch the prince. Suzaku couldn't very well tell a prince what he could or couldn't do.

"So why don't we get to it then?" Lloyd said, sounding a tad bit impatient.

"Ah, are you sure, Your Highness?" Suzaku asked finally. "I mean, I'm just an Honorary Britannian and we can't be a knight and pilot knightmares."

"There's no law against it," Lelouch said simply as he turned to face Suzaku. "At the moment, you will only be testing the _Lancelot_ to see whether you can sync with it. Once that has been determined, we will go from there. This is an order, Private."

Suzaku didn't know what Lelouch was doing nor why _he_ , of all people, would be chosen—Kay had gotten a high score as well on the knightmare simulation as did Lelouch—but all he did was bow and say, "Yes, Your Highness."

"Contact me with the results once you have then, Lloyd," Lelouch said, turning back to Lloyd.

"Of course," Lloyd said brightly and tossed the white-and-gold activation key to Suzaku whose hand reflexively shot out to catch it before it hit him in the face. "This way, Private Kururugi. This way."

Suzaku glanced, again, at Lelouch before following the earl as he led the way deeper into the small mobile base.

 **. . .**

 _Osaka Military Base, Osaka Settlement_

Hozumi relaxed in the large office on the top floor of the Osaka Military Base, resting his legs on the desk and closing his eyes as he relaxed, a small satisfied smile on his face. He wasn't at all surprised that Naora's plan succeeded; Naora was a very good strategist. If only Hozumi had listened to Naora during his first assault of Osaka then he might not have been defeated.

He lazily opened his eyes when the door opened and watched as Naora walked into the room, sitting on the corner of the desk and smirking down at him. "You look relaxed," she said. "You shouldn't let your guard down."

"Relax, Naora. It'll be a long time before General Andon gets word of what's going on here and, by then, we'll be ready for when he attempts to take this base back," Hozumi said.

"You sure are confident," Naora mused, crossing her legs and resting her hands on her knees. "And if they attack before we're ready?"

Hozumi snorted. "Why would they? They have no idea we're even here. We have the entrance to the tunnel guarded. The only way they'll be able to take this base back is by attacking the base directly and attempting to overwhelm us with sheer force but we will be expecting that and will be able to fight back against that."

"Hmm, though they will likely outnumber you and that could prove disastrous for you and your men. My boss wouldn't be too happy if one of the resistances that he has spent so much time and money on destroys themselves."

"That won't happen," Hozumi assured her. "I know what I'm doing."

Naora hummed and uncrossed her legs before hopping off the desk. "I'm going to go check on the prisoner. You coming with? He may feel more talkative if you're there to coax him into talking," she said.

"I take it Tadayoshi and his men haven't been able to get anything on our resident Major General," Hozumi said, swinging his legs off the desk and standing up.

"No. He hasn't said anything about anything. Personally, I think Tadayoshi isn't asking the right questions nor is he really looking for any particular information. That's why I think you should take over. You know what information the Crimson Sakuras need."

Hozumi nodded in agreement and followed Naora as she led the way out of the office. They walked down the stairs to the basement level of the base that they had used to get into the base. There, the survivors of the attack were gathered and Hozumi's followers were attempting to get information out of them about General Andon, the military, and whether someone did manage to escape the base or not, emphasis on attempting.

"We haven't been able to find shit out. They sure are stubborn," Tadayoshi said when Hozumi and Naora joined him and his men.

"We will never tell you anything! All Hail Britannia!" One of the Britannian soldiers shouted around the pain, prompting his interrogator to strike him again.

Hozumi nodded. "And the Major General?" he asked.

"See for yourself," Tadayoshi said and led the way to where they were keeping the Major General in one of the small storage rooms. They entered it and Seika Murano looked up from where he was crouched next to the Major General who was seated with his back pressed against the wall, his hands tied behind him and his lips pressed together, a stubborn gleam in his eyes.

"He ain't said a single word since we captured him," Murano said, pushing himself to his feet.

Hozumi peered down at the Major General. "Shame. I was hoping to get information out of him but if he's not saying anything, we may as well kill him," he said. He hoped that this would spark the Major General into saying something.

It did but not what Hozumi thought it would.

"Then so be it. I would rather die than betray my country," Pyne said coolly, holding Hozumi's gaze defiantly.

"Then kill him already," Naora said.

Hozumi pulled his handgun and pointed at Pyne who still held his gaze before he lowered the gun. "No, I think I know of a way to get him talking. Naora, find Nomi. Tell her to search the databases. Let's see if we can find out if the Major General's _family_ lives in the Osaka Settlement," he said and smirked triumphantly at the look of panic that appeared on Pyne's face. It only lasted for a second but it had still appeared.

"Or we could do this the easy way, Major General. Tell me what I want to know and I will spare your family," Hozumi said.

"Why should I believe you?" Pyne sneered. "The very fact that you threatened them is enough to tell me that I shouldn't trust your word."

"Fine then. I'll just go find your family and kill each of them off one by one in front of you until you talk. Naora? Go find Nomi and give her those orders. While you're at it, tell Yosuke that he may implement the next phase of our plan and take control of the city," Hozumi said, not taking his eyes off Pyne.

"…Isn't that first order going a bit too far?" Naora asked.

"If it gets him talking and gets me the information I want then I'll do it," Hozumi said coolly.

His second remained at his side for a moment but then he heard her turn around and walk away.

 **. . .**

Naora paused in the doorway to the basement and glanced over her shoulder at the leader of the Crimson Sakuras, watching as he continued to attempt to convince the Major General to talk and spare his family. She sighed and started walking again. _Killing military men is one thing but going against civilians?_ That was one thing that her boss absolutely forbade them from doing; sure, they've _used_ attacks on civilians, such as what they were planning on doing in Sapporo, but they've never been the one to pull the triggers against them. Naora may love Hozumi but that didn't mean that she approved of his orders.

She pulled out her phone as she walked and, dialing a number, she waited as it rang. There was a click.

" _Hello?_ " A soft voice sounded on the other end, speaking in Russian.

"Hello, Scarlet. Patch me to Unity," Naora murmured in Russian.

" _Sure thing, Cherry,_ " Scarlet said and there was a click before another voice joined the first one.

" _Yes, Scarlet?_ " the voice said, also in Russian.

" _It's Cherry,_ " Scarlet said.

" _I see. Hello Cherry. To what do I owe the honor of this call?_ " Unity's voice said. Even though he sounded polite when he spoke, Naora knew enough to not beat around the bush when it came to the leader of the Liberators.

"I don't believe we should be allying ourselves with the Crimson Sakuras anymore," Naora said.

" _And why do you believe that?_ "

Naora told him about what Hozumi Murkami was planning before adding, "We know that using civilians will only succeed in turning civilian support against us but he doesn't seem to understand that," she said.

" _According to your reports about him, he doesn't seem to be a quick learner. Well, for the time being, we can use_ _the Crimson Sakuras._ _Since they are the only ones who are, currently, willing to attack Britannian forces in Japan, we need them to test out the strength of our enemy, especially that new commander who took charge of the 11_ _th_ _Regiment after Brigadier General Stromberg retired,_ " Unity said. The retirement of Brigadier General Stromberg of the 11th Regiment had been widespread news, though it was only a few days after he assumed his post that the media released the identity of the young man who took over as commander of the 11th Regiment.

"We know little to nothing about Prince Lelouch," she said quietly. "Only what the media has said and what our spies have managed to ferret out and we know nothing of how he is as a military commander."

" _If the Crimson Sakuras do end up getting into an engagement with Prince Lelouch then we can get to know a bit more about what he is like as a military commander,_ " Unity said.

"This is all hinging on whether Prince Lelouch is the one who will try and take back Osaka," Naora pointed out.

" _I would not put it past them as a way of testing their newest military commander, even more so because he's a prince,_ " Unity said. " _We will discuss this more later. For now, just follow any orders Murkami gives you._ "

Naora sighed. She didn't like her current orders but she nodded either way. "I understand," she whispered and hung up before heading off to find Nomi and give her Murkami's newest orders.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: and that was part one of the three-part chapter**

 **Lelouch: what happens next?**

 **Blaze: part one of the battle and...well...um, where's Kallen?**

 **Suzaku: I think she went out to get some black forest cake, why?**

 **Blaze: (slowly edging her way into a bomb shelter) no reason. Bakura! End the chapter! (Disappears into bomb shelter)**

 **Lelouch: why did she do that?**

 **Bakura: remember when she previewed Arc II and stated that Tara was going to dig herself deeper into the hole she was already in and not just with Lelouch?**

 **Suzaku: yeah**

 **Bakura: exactly**

 **Suzaku: I still don't get it**

 **Bakura: everyone else might**

 **Charles: hello**

 **Bakura: (grins and pulls out acid-tipped drills and charges at Charles)**

 **Charles: (runs away)**

 **Lelouch: hey! You killed him last time! It's my time now! (Pulls out two lightsabers and charges after Charles)**

 **Suzaku: (sigh) well, Charles is dead _again._ And since Bakura isn't finishing the chapter like Blaze told him to, I guess I will. Blaze hope that you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter might come out before the New Year but she makes no promises. As always, reviews are much appreciated and thank you for reading.**


	16. Reclaim

**Suzaku: where's Blaze?**

 **Bakura: still hiding in that bomb shelter. So get to the beginning notes. I had best go make sure she hasn't died or something (walks off)**

 **Suzaku: Well, since Blaze is hiding, I'll do this. Here is the first part of the three-part chapter and, yes, there is a somewhat cliffhanger but that should have been expected since these three parts were originally one over forty-page chapter.**

 **Lelouch: we still have the reviewers to thank, Suzaku**

 **Suzaku: right, right. Anyway, Blaze would like to say thank you to (pulls out list of people who reviewed the last chapter) _PiroWolfxL, harlequin320, ewertondragon, Shadow-Shinoi666, DYnoJackal19, F.C.C.S., Doommajor, Shimmering-Sky, MasterDangel, OBSERVER01, Scarease,_ and _B-Kira_ for reviewing the last chapter. Also, she would like to thank _Imperial warlord_ for reviewing the first chapter.**

 **Lelouch: also, she would like to give a shoutout to _Scarease_ for being he 200th reviewer so congrats I suppose.**

 **Suzaku: anyway, here is chapter 16 and Blaze hopes that you enjoy it (and don't try to kill her at the end, though you might be focusing your attention on someone else instead). Reviews, as always, are much appreciated and a thank you ahead of time for reading.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _March 29, 2016_

 _Naoto Kozuki's Apartment, Shinjuku Ghetto_

 _Kallen made her way into her brother's apartment and noticed Naoto wasn't the only one who was there. Tamaki, Ohgi, Sugiyama, Yoshida, and Inoue were also there and she smiled a little when they greeted her with a resounding, 'Happy Birthday, Kallen!"_

 _"Thank you, you guys," Kallen said, closing the door behind her and walking over to join them. "But you didn't have to do all of this."_

 _"You only turn sixteen once, Kallen," Inoue said with a smile._

 _"We were gonna get ya a cake but we ran out of money and none of us knows how to bake," Tamaki admitted. He held up the wrapped present and added, "But we did get ya presents."_

 _Kallen smiled and accepted the presents that Tamaki, Inoue, Ohgi, Sugiyama, and Yoshida handed her and sat down on the couch. She spent the next fifteen minutes opening up the gifts that her friends and fellow resistance members had gotten for her. She was difficult to shop for, and they knew that, but they did try their best and she was grateful._

 _She put down the red headband that Inoue had gotten her and glanced at her friends who sat around her. "Thanks again," she said._

 _"You're welcome, Kallen," Ohgi said._

 _Naoto, who was sitting on the armrest of the couch, held out his gift to Kallen. "Happy birthday,_ imouto-san _," he said softly. He normally didn't call her that, since the Japanese language was outlawed and everyone had gotten used to talking in Britannian, but he did on special occasions._

 _"Thank you,_ onii-sama _," Kallen said and took the gift before ripping into the wrapping paper and pulling the lid off the box. She pulled out the small pink wallet and raised an eyebrow at Naoto who just smiled._

 _"It's got a little surprise inside. Press here," he said and pointed to a small button and Kallen pressed it, causing a knife to jut out of it._

 _She blinked in surprise but, before she could say anything, Naoto said, "This is for you so you have something to protect yourself with. Don't use it unless you absolutely have to though."_

" _I won't. Thank you," Kallen said with a smile._

" _Now let's get this party started," Tamaki suggested, pulling out a bottle of wine._

" _Tamaki, Kallen's not of age," Naoto scolded._

" _Well, we are," Tamaki said._

" _Just don't drink too much, Tamaki. We don't wanna a repeat of the singing incident that happened last month," Naoto said dryly._

" _Yeah, please spare our ears. I don't want them to start bleeding again," Yoshida said._

 _Tamaki scowled at him but Kallen, remembering that incident, just started to laugh._

 **. . .**

 **16**

 **Reclaim**

 _June 26, 2016_

 _Streets, Osaka Settlement_

Lieutenant Rachel Stonewell was the best at what she did. She was one of the sneakiest and nimble members of the 11th Regiment. When it was under the command of Brigadier General Stromberg, she had been tasked with several espionage missions and so when Margrave Gottwald came to her and told her that Prince Lelouch wanted someone to get close to the military base, she had been thrilled. She knew next to nothing about Prince Lelouch, only that he had been missing for six years and then returned to the Royal Family along with his sister a couple of months ago, but he was her new commander and she wanted to make a good impression on him.

Perhaps she could get a promotion.

Her orders were simply to get an assessment of the situation since Gottwald warned her that the Crimson Sakuras may be expecting Britannia to send someone to scout the base out. She pressed her lips together as she made her way deeper into the settlement, occasionally glancing toward the military base on the southern end of the city before averting her eyes.

She was clad in simple civilian clothing and carrying a large bag to blend in with the population and no one gave her a second glance. It would seem that the Crimson Sakuras were content with staying holed up in the military base; they hadn't made any moves on the city itself.

However, that changed quickly.

She had neared the military base when she spotted the terrorists, bearing the bleeding cherry tree insignia that represented the Crimson Sakuras on their clothes, move into the city, carrying rifles. From behind the Tokyo Military Base, Rachel saw knightmare frames, Glasgows by the looks of them, head toward the city along with tanks and…were those Bamides?

Bamides were like a hybrid between a tank and a knightmare frame that were developed by the Middle East Federation. Before today, the only place that Bamides were seen were in the deserts of the Middle East, since they were best suited for traveling across sand, and Rachel was surprised to find some in Area 11 of all place. Area 11 was, by far, the _least_ likely place that she would ever expect these kinds of machines to appear.

 _So they have knightmares, tanks, and Bamides and they seem to be attacking the city now,_ Rachel thought as she quickly ducked into the nearest alley and watched as the terrorists charged through the city.

The civilians were thrown into a panic, screaming and running from the terrorists; though they had been aware of the attack on the base, they obviously hadn't expected the terrorists to attack the city next. Rachel pressed her back against the wall, watching with pursed lips as the terrorists rounded up the civilians and herded them toward the City Hall at the center of the city. There weren't very many soldiers in the city itself and the terrorists were quick to gun down any soldiers who attempted to fight back.

It was over rather quickly but, considering the civilians weren't fighting back and were faced with knightmares, tanks, and Bamides, that wasn't a surprise.

However, Rachel used the distraction provided by the short assault to get closer to the military base. She still stayed on the edges, aware that if they were expecting someone to spy on them then they would have placed a trap to catch or kill the spy.

She spotted a tall, thick oak tree and, gazing around, darted to the tree once it was clear and climbed up it. Once she was crouched on the highest branch she could get to that would support her weight, she pulled out the binoculars she kept in her bag and looked through them at the base.

She scanned the area, taking note of everything she saw; the number of terrorists, their positions at the moment, where the most damage had been done during the attack—the barracks and the communication building were a pile of ruins—and the number of knightmares, tanks, and Bamides within the base itself—there was surprisingly very little.

She pressed her lips together as she put her binoculars back into her pack and pulled out a notepad and pen, quickly writing down everything she saw, including what had just happened in the city itself and an estimate of the number of enemies that was, very likely, not accurate.

Putting the notepad and pen back into her pack, she scrambled down from the tree and darted back the way she had come.

 **. . .**

 _June 27, 2016_

 _Bridge, G-1 Base, Outskirts of Osaka Settlement_

The following morning dawned cloudy with the threat of another rainstorm. Lelouch studied the overcast sky, lips pressed together as he took in the information he had just received, from Lloyd and from the spy Jeremiah had sent into the Osaka Settlement. It was a case of good news bad news.

The good news, from Lloyd, was that Suzaku synced instantly with the _Lancelot_ and was actually able to move it and access the weapons systems and use the weapons that Lloyd decided he could get away with testing both in the area where he had set up his base and without alerting the enemy. The bad news, from the spy Rachel Stonewell, was that the terrorists had an assortment of knightmares, tanks, and even a type of knightmare frame that Lelouch had discovered had been manufactured and was only used in the Middle East Federation. Also, they had moved out of the Osaka Military Base and had taken control of the settlement itself, keeping any civilians they found in the City Hall with knightmares, tanks, and Bamides surrounding them.

"Did all the terrorists move to the Osaka Settlement?" Lelouch asked.

"No, Your Highness," Stonewell said, shaking her head. "The majority of the foot soldiers remained within the military base as far as I could see. Only the knightmares, tanks, and Bamides as well as many two or three squads of foot soldiers entered the city."

Lelouch nodded thoughtfully, his mind working on a plan. "Were you able to determine if the terrorists left any of their knightmares, tanks, or Bamides at the military base?" he asked.

"I wasn't able to get close enough to determine, Your Highness," Rachel said. "I speculated that if they did know a spy would be sent then they would have a trap set to capture or kill that spy so I avoided getting too close."

"A good decision," Lelouch said. "And yet we still do not know just how Murkami and the Crimson Sakuras got into the base. Stonewell's report suggests that they didn't just attack and force their way in that night; otherwise, there would have been more damage. Major Duncan, can you get into the base's computer network?"

"I can try, Your Highness," Dimitri said. "What do you wish for me to do if I do get in?"

"I want a map of the entire military base. Try to find one that is as detailed as possible. I want to know _how_ Murkami and his men got into the base without leaving more damage in their wake," Lelouch ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness," Dimitri said and immediately went to work.

"Our priority is taking back that base. We can, then, use the base as a starting point for our attack on the terrorists in the city itself but we must get the base under our control again first," Lelouch decided, his mind still going through various plans that he could implement to take back the base.

He dismissed Rachel after that and stood up from his throne, walking over to the railing and leaning against it, gazing at the Osaka Settlement and the military base that lay beyond it. If he got the base under his control then launching an attack on the terrorists in the city might take them by surprise since they would not be expecting an attack from the south. However, that would only work if Lelouch could get his men to the base without the Crimson Sakuras seeing.

He also wasn't sure if the Crimson Sakuras knew they were there yet. They had taken refuge on the outskirts, hidden by the ruined tall buildings of the ghetto they were camped next to so it was likely that the terrorists didn't know. It made Lelouch wonder just why Murkami hadn't posted sentries to warn him that reinforcements had arrived.

"Margrave, do you know this area well?" he asked, turning to his second in command.

"I have been here a few times the past five years so, yes, I would say that I know it fairly well, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

"Then do you know of a way for a large convoy to travel past the city without alerting the people within it to the convoy's location? Or would it be best to move in small groups?" Lelouch asked.

Jeremiah pressed his lips together thoughtfully. "Moving in small groups may take the longest time but it might also be the best way to get to the base without alerting the men in Osaka. Going at night would also help and we could use the trees or the buildings to sneak past," he said.

Lelouch hummed in thought.

"I have it, Your Highness," Dimitri called and, a moment later, a grid map of the Osaka Military Base, appeared on the large screen. "And I believe I've found out how Murkami got into the military base."

"Show me," Lelouch said and watched as Dimitri zoomed in on the map. It rotated so that they were looking at a side view of the base, including the portions that were underground. Dimitri then had a path highlighted leading from the underground levels of the base and winding its way toward the east, disappearing into the foothills of the mountains.

"It looks as if though there's a ruined shrine in those foothills and that's where this tunnel seems to lead," Dimitri added.

"That's what they must have used to get into the base," Lelouch mused thoughtfully. "That is likely going to be our best bet at getting into the base as well. However, I doubt that they are stupid enough to keep that tunnel unguarded, unless they suspect that we don't know about it." He trailed off, his mind working out the kinks of the plan he was creating in his head.

"It could work," he murmured. "But in order for it to work, we need to get behind the enemy."

"Your Highness?" Jeremiah said.

Lelouch turned to him. "Margrave, we're going to head for the southern end of Osaka, past the military base. I do not want the terrorists to know we're moving or are even here, if they are still in the dark about that, so make sure each convoy is a small group, no more than ten people if possible. The knightmares and the other transports won't be moved until it's dark."

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

Lelouch had another plan as well, one that would lead to the capture of the Crimson Sakura's leaders. His lips curled a little at the thought of Hozumi Murkami, of the man who shot his little sister, and he had to remind himself that, while he did have a personal grudge against Murkami, he couldn't let that get in the way.

He couldn't afford to lose his first battle. Losing would imply uselessness and Lelouch couldn't afford to be seen as useless in the eyes of the Emperor, not when it would mean putting Nunnally in danger.

But if he did get his hands on Murkami, he would ensure that his own justice was served.

 **. . .**

 _Kozuki Resistance Base, Shinjuku Ghetto_

Tara skipped into the base, a fake cheerful smile plastered on her face, though she was currently extremely annoyed. She just couldn't seem to find Princess Nunnally anywhere; it was as if she had disappeared off the face of the planet and it was bugging her. _Just where could she have gone?_ She thought furiously.

That wasn't the only thing that was annoying her though. Naoto Kozuki also was annoying her by refusing to let her do much beyond speaking to contacts, setting up meetings, and gathering resources. Since she had agreed to follow Naoto's and Ohgi's orders, and didn't want to make them distrust trust her even more than they already did by going back on her word, she had thought that she could get them to give her orders to assassinate the princess by using her blackmail over them. She knew they would refuse though and had already made the decision to go ahead and do it and just blame it on Naoto Kozuki's resistance.

She was getting that fed up with them constantly refusing to let her do more for the resistance or refusing to let her in on their meetings though. Essentially, she knew less than everyone else in the resistance; even Kallen knew more than she did and they were the same age.

She noticed that the rest of the resistance members were gathered in the lobby of the base but noted that Naoto, Ohgi, a couple of other members, and Kallen weren't there. She wandered over to join Sugiyama. "Where's Naoto?" she asked.

"Coming up with a plan. He said he'd tell us about it once he'd worked out everything," Sugiyama said.

"Why aren't we there?"

"It's a special mission. The less people who know all the details, the more likely it'll work," Sugiyama said.

 _In other words, only those Naoto trusts will know all the details,_ she thought bitterly. _Naturally. Why can't he just trust me?!_

The door opened and Naoto walked into the room with Kallen, Ohgi, and a couple of other resistance members that Tara didn't bother on learning the names of behind him.

"So what's the plan?" Tara asked.

"We are going to be attending a meeting tomorrow afternoon at five at Warehouse 3 at the docks. The rest of you will remain here. I don't want too many people to be there as it would draw attention to us," Naoto said.

"Then why don't you kick one of them out and let me go with you? I mean, you're letting Kallen go with you," Tara said, gesturing to one of the terrorists she didn't bother on learning the name of.

"This is an important meeting, Tara," Naoto said. "And it needs to be handled delicately."

 _In other words, only those you trust can go,_ Tara thought angrily. "You don't trust me?" she said.

"You never gave us any reason to trust you," Tamaki scoffed.

"For once, Tamaki does have a point," Inoue mused.

"What?! After everything I've done to help and you still don't trust me? You won't even give me important missions, just stupid stuff, and you won't let me in on your meetings. I know less than anyone else in this damn resistance because you won't tell me anything," Tara exclaimed.

"Trust is not given, it's earned, Tara," Naoto said simply.

"And you did nothing to earn Naoto's trust when you blackmailed him into letting you join," Kallen snapped. "You don't deserve to know anything!"

"Shut up! You've done absolutely nothing worthwhile, you worthless little bitch!"

"Tara!" Naoto exclaimed but Kallen was already in motion, lunging at her and punching her so hard in the face that Tara heard a crunch.

"You're the spoiled arrogant little bitch that believes she has the right to know everything and that she deserves everyone's trust when she has done absolutely nothing to prove that she deserves that knowledge or that trust! And you don't seem to understand that that's not how things work!" Kallen screamed.

"I have helped the resistance since I first joined. I've spoken to contacts for you and gathered resources for you and yet you still refuse to show me even an ounce of trust. What the hell? Why the hell do you refuse to grant me even a sliver of trust?" Tara shouted back.

"Because the only reason that you're even here is because you're holding something over our head and could easily turn us over to Britannia! Why the hell would we trust someone who holds that kind of power over us?" Kallen shouted.

"I haven't done that yet!"

"But you still have the power to do so!"

"But I haven't!"

"And yet you haven't once said that you wouldn't! You aren't even denying that you still hold that power over our heads!"

"Kallen! Tara! Calm down, both of you," Naoto snapped, grabbing Kallen around the waist and pulling her off Tara while Ohgi darted forward and grabbed Tara when she made to lunge at Kallen, intending to pay her back for that broken nose.

"Look," Naoto said, "this kind of fighting isn't helping anyone." He pulled Kallen away and turned to Tara who glared at him and then turned and stalked off.

"Where're you going?" Ohgi asked.

"Too cool off," Tara said and left the base, slamming the door hard behind her.

She wasn't leaving to cool off. Kallen's attack had been the last straw and she was not going to deal with them any longer. "They won't let me participate more, they won't trust me, and they even let that little bitch strike me like that. Fine then. Britannia will be happy with the information I have to give." She turned and stalked toward the settlement, her eyes set on her destination.

The Tokyo Military Base.

 **. . .**

 _Base of the Foothills, West of the Osaka Settlement_

Rayne folded her arms across her chest as she glared at Gretchen and Parker who were standing nearby. Lila glanced at her in concern and Tadashi was leaning against the wall. The five of them had been ordered to meet at the base of the foothills by Prince Lelouch, though Rayne had no idea why.

It was dark. Stars speckled the sky and the Black Knights were currently in route to the southern edge of the Osaka area, right beyond the military base. Almost everyone was already there; the knightmares and other transports were the last ones to be moved. Rayne didn't know what Lelouch's plan to retake the military base was though.

Lelouch walked over to join them at that moment with his second in command walking behind him. "I'm sure you're wondering why you were called here," he said once he was within earshot. "You five are here because I have need of your skills. Your orders are thus: you will use the tunnel beneath the shrine that will take you to the basement of the command building on the base and infiltrate the base while the rest of the regiment distracts the Crimson Sakuras. Your goal is the capture of Hozumi Murkami and, if possible, the rescue of Major General Pyne and his men if they are still alive. However, the capture of Murkami takes priority."

"How do we know that he'll remain in the command building when the attack begins, Your Highness?" Parker asked.

"According to the reports of Murkami's previous engagements, Murkami never actively participated in them himself and commanded his men from afar. Thus, it is likely he will remain in the relative safety of the command building and issue his orders from there."

"Won't he suspect that you'll use the tunnel to try and capture him?" Rayne asked curiously.

"It's unclear if he even knows we're here yet," Lelouch said. "He certainly hasn't made any indication that he knows we're here but be on your guard. However, he will have more to worry about in the attack on the military base itself. If he knows we're here, he won't be expecting an attack from the south. If he doesn't know we're here, he won't be expecting an attack at all. Any other questions?"

"I have one. Why is this Eleven here, Your Highness? Won't he slow this mission down?" Gretchen asked.

"You think that just 'cause he's an Eleven, he can't help, you little racist bitch?!" Rayne snarled.

Gretchen jerked as if slapped and turned to Rayne. "Rayne, that wasn't what I meant," she protested.

"It certainly sounded like that's what you meant!"

"Why are you defending an Eleven?"

"He's my friend!"

"Lieutenant Frost! Lieutenant Colonel Frost!" Lelouch's sharp, commanding voice tore through the argument and they both fell silent and quickly stood at attention as they faced Lelouch.

"Now is not the time for family squabbles," Lelouch said sternly, gazing at them with cool eyes. "If you two cannot work together on this mission then how can I expect you two to work together in the battles that are to come? Can you two work together on this or will your family squabble jeopardize the mission?"

"I will always put the mission first, Your Highness," Gretchen said.

"Lieutenant Frost?"

"I will follow through with the mission, Your Highness," Rayne said.

Lelouch continued to study both of them as if assessing whether they meant what they said before he inclined his head. "Then see that you do. If this mission fails due to your own personal quarrels, then that will tell me that neither of you have what it takes to be part of the military."

He never outright said it but Rayne knew what he meant. He would have them discharged if they failed this mission. "I understand, Your Highness," she said.

"As do I, Your Highness," Gretchen said.

"Good. There may be guards at the entrance to the tunnel at the shrine and, most likely, at the entrance into the basement. Get started but do not leave the basement until you hear the battle start. Understood?" Lelouch said.

Rayne and the rest of the team responded with a resounding "yes, sir."

"Lieutenant Colonel Frost, you are in charge," Lelouch said and left with Gottwald walking after him.

Rayne had to keep from scowling but wasn't about to protest. She knew that, while Lelouch was her friend, he couldn't show favoritism and that he would have her court martialed if she stepped out of line again.

"Let's move. Parker, bring up the rear," Gretchen said. Parker nodded and fell to the back of the group as Gretchen led the way toward the shrine and the rest of the group walked after her.

 **. . .**

"You want Murkami to be captured for a personal reason," Jeremiah said. It wasn't a question since Jeremiah already knew that Prince Lelouch had a personal grudge against Murkami, due to what he did to Princess Nunnally during the invasion, but his prince responded with a slight nod.

"I'm not letting my personal grudge against Murkami get in the way, though, Margrave," he said. "But he shot Nunnally. That's not something I can just let go. However, it's more important that we retake the base."

"So if retaking the base means losing your chance to capture Murkami, you would let that chance go?"

"Yes but, hopefully, that will not happen."

Jeremiah cast a sidelong glance at his prince, studying him. Prince Lelouch had fallen into the role of military commander quickly and, when Jeremiah thought about his plan, he mused that it could work. He would reserve his judgment for after the battle was finished though.

 **. . .**

 _June 28, 2016_

 _G-1 Base, Near the Osaka Military Base_

It was just after midnight and the battle was about to begin. Lelouch had waited that long to give Lieutenant Colonel Frost and her group plenty of time to take out the guards and reach the base. If they weren't in position, at least the attack would distract Murkami long enough for them to get into position and start the main part of their mission.

Lloyd's image suddenly appeared on one of the screens, a bright grin on his face. " _So, Your Highness, can I use my_ Lancelot _in this fight?_ " he asked eagerly. He had been in a happy, eager mood ever since Suzaku succeeded in moving the _Lancelot_.

"Not at the moment," Lelouch said. The _Lancelot_ was the first seventh generation knightmare frame prototype; therefore, no one had ever seen it in action. However, at the moment, it wasn't necessary to have an advanced knightmare frame on the battle field; he would launch it if it became necessary though.

Lloyd seemed to pout and then thought about it. " _Well, I suppose we should give the other pilots a chance, eh?_ " he said with a grin. " _Just let me know when to launch, Your Highness._ "

Lelouch nodded and Lloyd's image disappeared. Lelouch turned his gaze to the military base as he connected to Jeremiah, Kay—whom he had put in charge of the 23rd Knightmare Squadron—and the rest of the squad leaders. The majority of those who were fighting were foot soldiers since there weren't that many knightmares, tanks, or those odd Bamides at the base. More of them had moved to the city than Lelouch had originally thought. "You may begin the attack," he stated.

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " all the squadron leaders said at once and Lelouch watched as they attacked; their markers were represented as blue triangle blips on the screen as they swarmed the base. He also had a satellite view of the battle, which helped him pinpoint the exact locations of his men. His eyes focused on the screen that detailed the location of the enemy as well.

"Squad 3, watch your flank," he ordered. "Squad 2, move to reinforce Squad 3. Major Frost, have your men move to point C4. Margrave, move your men to point C2. Attack at will," he ordered and Squad 3 and Squad 2 of foot soldiers joined up with each other, outnumbering the terrorists they were fighting. At the same time, Kay's men and the Purist Faction moved to sandwich a squad of knightmares between them and attacked, forcing them to separate, moving in opposite directions.

Lelouch then spotted a group of tanks driving into the open from the northern end of the base and said, "Squads 4 and 5, flank those tanks and fire grenades at will," he ordered and watched as Squads 4 and 5, who were the ones who were using the grenade and missile launchers hurried to their positions—Squad 5 was in the shadow of the command building whereas Squad 4 was next to the ruins of the communication building—and quickly set up, firing grenades and missiles at the tanks that lay between them. Explosions erupted from the tanks and both Squads were quick to dive out of the way when the surviving tanks turned to fire at them.

Lloyd's image appeared on a small side screen next to Lelouch. " _Now can I launch my_ Lancelot _?_ " he asked eagerly.

Lelouch cast a sidelong glance at the pale-blue haired earl. "Not yet Lloyd, but I have not forgotten it," he said. It really didn't seem as if the _Lancelot_ would be needed anyway.

Lloyd actually did pout that time but, nonetheless, disconnected the transmission and Lelouch returned his attention to the battle.

 **. . .**

 _Basement, Osaka Military Base_

While the battle was raging overheard, Tadashi, Rayne, Lila, Gretchen, and Parker were making their way into the basement beneath the military base. They could hear the explosions that sounded above their heads but weren't fazed by it. It was difficult to figure out who was winning though.

Two Eleven soldiers suddenly rushed toward them, their weapons pointed at them but, with two well-placed shots from Lila, they were taken out. Tadashi did feel a bit bad at seeing his own people get injured like that, since Lila's shots had just put them out of commission, but he knew that this war and people died in war. He pushed the thought out of his mind and focused on the mission at hand.

They moved deeper into the basement when Gretchen signaled for them to stop. She peered around the corner and frowned. "There're prisoners here," she whispered and slipped into the main area of the basement. Tadashi followed suit and noticed that Gretchen was right; there were a score of injured soldiers seated on the floor with their arms tied behind their backs. They looked up, tired and in pain, but brightened when they saw who had just entered.

"We're going to get you out of here," Gretchen said. "Where's Major General Pyne?"

"They took him…to the city," one of the soldiers said as Parker knelt down beside him and started working on removing his binds. Tadashi, holstering his rifle, hurried over to another bound solider and knelt down beside him. He could see Rayne and Lila doing the same, the latter pulling out a first aid kit that she had brought with her just in case.

The soldier that Tadashi freed rubbed his wrists and glanced at him. "Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," Tadashi said. _I'm glad he ain't treating me badly 'cause of my heritage,_ he thought, getting to his feet and holding out a hand. The soldier took it and pulled himself to his feet.

"Lieutenant Frost will show you to the tunnel we used to get here. It'll give you a safe passage to the foothills where you should wait until the fight is over," Gretchen said.

Rayne looked up, scowled, but bit her lip to keep from saying anything.

"We can still fight," the soldier Gretchen had spoken to first insisted.

"And I saw where them Eleven bastards hid our weapons," the soldier Tadashi had helped said.

"We will not be fighting exactly," Gretchen said. "We were ordered to apprehend Hozumi Murkami. However, if you want to join in the fight then I cannot stop you." She pulled out her communicator and turned it on, "Lieutenant Colonel Frost to base."

" _This is Base. What is it, Lieutenant Colonel?_ " Lelouch's voice sounded over the communicator.

"We've found survivors, Your Highness, and most of them wish to join in the fight," Gretchen said. She glanced at the soldiers who were more injured than the rest and added, "Some of them are too injured however."

" _Let the survivors join in the fight if they wish, Lieutenant Colonel. I will have the medical team meet the injured ones at the shrine. Can they still walk?_ " Lelouch said.

"Can you still walk?" Gretchen asked the badly injured ones; half of them nodded. "All right, you help your comrades and head toward the tunnel. Lieutenant Frost, guide them out of here."

Rayne growled under her breath. "Yes, ma'am," she said through gritted teeth.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Lila said, looking up. "But I think it would be best if I went with them. I can see to their injuries in the tunnel while you continue with your mission."

Gretchen frowned but, before she could say anything, Lelouch's voice sounded again.

" _A good point. Very well. Lieutenant Moore, you will go with the injured soldiers and aid them should they need it. Lieutenant Colonel, you and the rest of your team will continue on with the mission._ "

"Understood, Your Highness," Gretchen said, clearly not liking the idea.

" _Give the frequency we're using to the survivors and then head out,_ " Lelouch added and went silent.

"Understood, Your Highness," Gretchen said and turned to the group. "Who is the one in charge?"

'That would be me: Major Harold Hendon," the man that Tadashi had helped said with a salute.

Gretchen gave him the frequency before adding, "Prince Lelouch will give you further orders once you have armed yourself." She gestured to her team and led the way toward the stairs leading out of the basement.

"Stay safe, you guys," Lila said to Rayne and Tadashi.

"We will, Lila," Rayne said.

"Yeah, don't worry 'bout us," Tadashi said and he and Rayne hurried after Gretchen and Parker as they hurried out of the basement.

 **. . .**

 _G-1 Base, Edge of the Osaka Military Base_

"Squad 4 and Squad 5, move to the northern edge of the city and await further orders. Margrave, Major Frost, move to point D5 and D2 respectively. Squad 3 and Squad 2, provide fire support for Margrave Gottwald, Major Frost and their men. Squad 1 fire at point E3," Lelouch ordered and watched as the surviving members of Squads 4 and 5 moved to the northern edge of the base while Jeremiah, Kay, Squad 3 and Squad 2 boxed in another squad of knightmares with Squad 1 firing in the only direction that the squad could go in.

"These look like the last of the knightmares stationed here. Take them out, Margrave, Major Frost," Lelouch ordered.

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Jeremiah and Kay said and launched themselves at the knightmares while the other two squads provided fire support.

The communicator came to life as Lelouch watched the battle, watching as Squad 2 and 3 were forced to move out of the way to avoid getting trampled by the fighting knightmares, and a new voice sounded over the frequency. " _This is Major Hendon of the 7_ _th_ _Regiment,_ " the voice said.

"Major Hendon, this is Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, commander of the 11th Regiment. How many of you men are capable of fighting?" Lelouch asked.

" _About fifteen, Your Highness,_ " Hendon said.

Lelouch pressed his lips together as he studied the map of his forces. "Are you and your men armed?" he asked.

" _Yes, Your Highness._ "

"Then have your men reinforce Squads 2 and 3. They are near your location, near the ruined barracks," Lelouch said.

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Hendon said and Lelouch watched as the newcomers hurried into the battle, heading over to join the two squads who were locked in combat with a large group of terrorists that had appeared from the ruins of the barracks. With the addition of Hendon and his men, the two squads were able to push back the terrorists.

Lelouch turned his gaze to the city that lay in the distance and connected to all his men, and Major Hendon. "Be forewarned that the terrorists may be sending reinforcements soon," he said. _This battle should not have gone unnoticed but where are the reinforcements? Unless they decided not to help for some reason, hmm,_ he thought.

 **. . .**

 _City Hall, Osaka Settlement_

"What do you mean we aren't going to reinforce Hozumi?" Nomi said shocked, staring at Yosuke Hamada, the third in command of the Crimson Sakuras and also the commander who had been placed in charge of the units in the city.

"Exactly as I said," Yosuke said.

"But why?"

"We need to remain in control of this city so that our men have somewhere to fall back to and we can use plan B. Though I hate to admit it, they do outnumber us and badly at that. Besides, we still have Pyne here. We may be able to use him as a bargaining chip if worst comes to worse," Yosuke said.

"And the civilians?"

"They're in City Hall or are hidden within their homes so they're outta harm's way," Yosuke said with a shrug. "I have my orders. Naora told me that Hozumi wants me to stay here and so I will."

"I don't like it but all right," Nomi said.

 **. . .**

 _Major General Pyne's Office, Osaka Military Base_

Hozumi scowled as he paced in the office, glaring at the battle that raged outside that was not going, at all, in his favor. Whoever was in charge of the Britannian force that had struck in the middle of the night was a clever strategist; he was able to counter practically all of Hozumi's orders and there didn't seem to be many causalities for his side, if any.

He gritted his teeth as he struggled to figure out what to do.

There was the sound of gunfire outside the office and Seika burst into the office, blood seeping from the wound on his arm and a handgun in his hand. "Sir, the base has been infiltrated by Britannians," he gasped. "They're heading this way."

"What?" Hozumi said in shock.

"We think they used the tunnel," Seika said.

More gunfire sounded and Seika turned before firing out the door but a well-fired shot struck him between the eyes, making him topple forward. Hozumi yanked out a handgun but, before he could fire it, a _bang_ sounded and Hozumi yelled in pain when the bullet slammed into his arm, forcing him to drop the gun. He clutched at his hand as he found five guns trained on him from the four Britannians and one Honorary Britannian that made their way into the room.

Snarling, Hozumi glared at them as they fanned out in a semicircle around him, successfully trapping him, holding his bleeding hand close to him. _Damn it,_ he thought furiously.

 **. . .**

 _Osaka Military Base, Osaka Settlement_

Kay fired his Slash Harken into one of the few remaining knightmares that were still in the courtyard and shot forward, slamming his jousting lance into the knightmare's factsphere as he yanked the Slash Harken free. He jumped back and unleashed a barrage of bullets from his assault rifle into the knightmare, forcing the pilot to eject.

He whirled around but could see that there didn't seem to be any enemies left. He keyed on his radio. "Your Highness, there don't seem to be any more enemies," he said.

" _No reinforcements are in route either, Your Highness,_ " Gottwald stated.

" _Your Highness, we have captured Hozumi Murkami,_ " Gretchen's voice sounded over the frequency.

" _Good work,_ " Lelouch's voice said. " _I will be there momentarily. Bring Murkami outside the command building. I wish to speak to him personally. Everyone else, see to any injuries that you have obtained. The medical team are returning to the base at the moment with the wounded from the 7_ _th_ _Regiment. Lieutenant Colonel Soresi and Major Nu. You two are on lookout. Inform me if reinforcements show up._ "

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " the two aforementioned members of the Purist Faction stated and moved over to the edge of the city while everyone else moved closer to the center.

Kay relaxed against his seat, closing his eyes as he relaxed, the adrenaline from the battle fading.

 **. . .**

 _Outside, Osaka Military Base_

Suzaku listened with only half an ear as Lloyd complained about not being able to test the _Lancelot_ in actual battle while Croomy just watched and shook her head in exasperated patience. She glanced at Suzaku and gave him a kind smile. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Major Croomy," Suzaku said.

"Please, call me Cecile," Croomy said. "I suspect that we're going to be working together from now on, especially since you've proven capable of moving the _Lancelot_. Lloyd's not going to want to let you out of his grasp anytime soon."

"We could have won this battle sooner if Prince Lelouch had launched the _Lancelot,_ " Lloyd was complaining.

"He was just being safe, Lloyd," Cecile said.

"Well, how are we gonna know if the _Lancelot_ will work in an actual battle if it never actually _experiences_ an actual battle?" Lloyd whined.

"Be patient, Lloyd. I'm sure Prince Lelouch will let the _Lancelot_ participate soon enough," Cecile said and turned to Suzaku and added, "You look bored. You don't have to stay here, Private Kururugi."

"May I go and help the injured then, Ma…Cecile?" Suzaku asked, not used to referring to a superior officer by her first name yet.

"Go ahead," Cecile said with a kind smile and then gave an irritated glower at Lloyd who was still complaining.

Suzaku moved away from the base, looking around for anyone that needed help. He spotted Lila crouched by one of the injured soldiers and moved over to join her. She must have heard him approach because she looked up. "Hey, Suzaku," she greeted him. "Do you think you can help me?"

"Sure. What do you need help with?" Suzaku asked.

"I ran out of bandages. Can you run to the medical team and get some more for me?"

Suzaku nodded and headed toward where the medical team were taking care of some of the other injured men and women. One of the medics glanced at him. "Yes?" She said.

"I need some more bandages, please, ma'am," Suzaku said politely.

"Of course," the medic said and handed him an armful of bandages. He took them, thanked the medic, and returned to Lila's side.

"Thank you," Lila said, taking the bandages and working on bandaging the heavily bleeding wound on the soldier. Once the wound was bandaged, she stood up, stretched, and looked around for someone else.

Suzaku decided to keep helping Lila and, between the two of them—though Suzaku only had the knowledge he got from the first-aid training during basic training—they were able to help quite a number of injured foot soldiers. It didn't seem as if there were any causalities.

They neared the command building just as the doors opened and Lieutenant Colonel Frost, Major Parker Frost, Rayne, and Tadashi walked out of the building. Parker was carrying a very familiar Eleven man in between them; Suzaku froze, his eyes widening when he caught sight of those familiar blue-green eyes.

"You okay, Suzaku?" Lila asked.

"I know him," Suzaku said, narrowing his eyes as the man looked at him. Their eyes locked and the man's lips pulled back into a smirk.

"Well, well, if it isn't the son of Genbu Kururugi," he said with a cool smile. "I bet you're surprised to see me again, traitor."

"Traitor?" Rayne echoed.

"Of course he's a traitor. He betrayed his own people to protect two Britannians and became an Honorary Britannian. What would your father say, Kururugi?"

Suzaku flinched at the mention of his father.

"You are certainly very talkative, Murkami," Lelouch's cool voice said and Suzaku turned to find Lelouch striding toward them, cape swishing around his legs as he walked; his eyes were like purple ice and his lips were quirked in a cool frown.

Murkami turned to Lelouch. "Ah, Prince Lelouch, we meet again," he said with a cool smirk.

"Unfortunately," Lelouch said coolly.

"And how is your worthless sister?"

Lelouch's eye twitched. "She's fine, no thanks to you," he said.

"I should've shot her in the head, put that worthless bitch out of her misery."

 _Bang._

Suzaku cringed as Murkami screamed in agony as the bullet Lelouch just fired struck his knee, causing it to buckle. If Parker hadn't been holding him, he would have collapsed. When Suzaku glanced at his friend, all he saw was a cold mask of fury and a handgun in his friend's hand.

"That was for shooting Nunnally six years ago, Murkami, and for your insults as well," Lelouch said coolly and turned to Gottwald who had come to his side. "Take him away, Margrave. See if you can get any information out of him."

Gottwald cracked his knuckles and smirked at Murkami who pain-filled expression suddenly took on a hint of worry.

"I need him alive so that he can stand trial when we return to Tokyo, Margrave," Lelouch added.

Gottwald nodded. "Understood, Your Highness, he will not be _permanently_ damaged," he said and strode forward, grabbing a Murkami's arm and guiding him into the command building.

Lelouch turned his attention to his men, who had seemed just as surprised as Suzaku was by Lelouch's actions when Murkami insulted Nunnally, but they had shaken it off pretty quickly. "We will rest here for the time being. I want small groups to be on watch at all times, rotating out every few hours, and alert me if the terrorists in the city make any moves. Lieutenant Stonewell, infiltrate the city and see if you can find any information on what's going on there."

"Yes, Your Highness," Stonewell said and darted toward the edge of the city.

Tadashi and Rayne walked over to join Suzaku and Lila and they were soon joined by Kay. "You know," Rayne mused. "I feel I should be surprised by Lelouch's actions but then I remembered that he had tried to set Tadashi on fire with his eyes when Tadashi called Nunnally 'hot' and I now realize why I'm not."

Tadashi shivered at that memory. "Note to self: _never_ insult Nunnally," he said.

"Did Murkami really shoot Nunnally?" Rayne asked curiously.

"Yeah, he did," Suzaku said, wondering why he was surprised. This was Lelouch he was thinking about; he was so devoted to Nunnally that he wouldn't hesitate to hurt someone if they hurt her. He thought about during the invasion when one of the Japanese men that had cornered the three of them in the ruins of an old restaurant had grabbed Nunnally and nearly broke her arm. Lelouch had actually stabbed him with a fork he had found on the table just to get that man to release Nunnally.

"Suzaku, will you help me some more with the injured?" Lila asked.

"Sure," Suzaku said and the two of them walked off to continue tending to the injured.

 **. . .**

 _Docks, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11_

Kallen drew the hood of her jacket over her head and adjusted her sunglasses as she walked after her brother, Ohgi, and the others that had been brought with her brother. It was exactly four in the afternoon when they entered the warehouse in which the meeting was going to take place. Kallen noted that it was rather empty save for Reyes seated in the center of the floor with two standing on either side of him. He was talking on his phone as Naoto approached.

" _¿Él tiene?_ " He said and listened to the response before adding, " _Si quieres montar una misión de rescate, ¿verdad?_ "

A moment of silence and Reyes sighed before saying, " _El jefe no va a aprobar._ " Another moment, then, " _Usted todavía tiene la oportunidad de mantener esa ciudad._ "

It was then that Reyes spotted Naoto and he waved him closer, adding, " _Te devolveré la llamada. Tengo compañía._ " He listened and said," _Bueno, lo haré. Adiós,_ " and closed his phone before turning to the group and switching back to Japanese as he said, "Welcome, Naoto Kozuki and friends. You are right on time."

"I'm sure you will understand if I don't introduce my companions, Reyes," Naoto said, moving forward to stand in front of Reyes. "It would be best if we didn't use too many names, you see."

"I agree so I won't introduce my companions either," Reyes said with a smile. "Please, sit. We have much to discuss."

Naoto sat down in front of Reyes as the latter retook his seat. "Can I ask you something, Reyes?" Naoto asked.

"Of course," Reyes said.

"Why us? Why do you seek to help us? Why not the Japan Liberation Front or one of the bigger resistances like the Yamato Alliance or the Crimson Sakuras?" Naoto asked.

"The boss just thinks that helping a smaller resistance will be worthwhile but won't say why. I try not to question him too much," Reyes said.

Before anything else could be said, things went to hell in a hand basket.

The door blew open and Kallen whirled around, eyes widening at the knightpolice and several Britannian soldiers stormed into the warehouse.

Reyes jumped to his feet. "You were followed!" he hissed.

"No! We made sure we weren't several times before we came here," Naoto insisted, worry on his face as he got to his feet and whirled around.

"Terrorists, you are hereby under arrest for terrorism and treason against the Holy Empire of Britannia. Surrender now," a voice said and Kallen watched as a green-haired man in his late fifties walked forward, handgun in his hand.

"General Andon," Naoto and Reyes murmured at the same time before Reyes turned to his companions and nodded once. Both of his companions drew something out of their pockets and tossed it into the ground. Smoke immediately erupted into the area, causing Kallen to cough and her eyes to water. When the smoke cleared, Reyes and his companions were gone.

 _They…They just left us, even though they were offering to help?_ Kallen thought in surprise.

"You have one more chance. Surrender now," General Andon said.

"Fat chance! For Japan!" One of the men that had come with them, Izo Miura, shouted and started firing at the Britannians.

"Damnit, Izo!" Naoto hissed, handgun in his hand as he shouldered the table the two had been sitting at to the ground and dived behind it. Kallen and Ohgi were quick to join him, Ohgi's handgun in his hand as well. Izo was killed in the barrage of bullets that came seconds later.

"What do we do now?" Ohgi asked.

"We need to get out of here," Naoto said. "But how did they find out we were going to be here?"

"Were we followed and just didn't realize it?" Kallen asked worriedly, her own little handgun in her hands; though, considering her hesitation when that Britannian had been about to kill that five-year-old, Kallen didn't know if she could actually use it.

"We were very careful but I suppose it's possible," Naoto said, peering around the edge of the table and then ducking back when another barrage of bullets came flying toward the table. The table was thick but it wouldn't be able to withstand the barrage for much longer; already, Kallen could see it splintering.

She peered over the edge when the barrage stopped momentarily and her eyes widened when she caught sight of the aqua-haired girl that had come to Andon's side. _Tara!_

"You were right, Miss Archer," Andon said. "They _were_ meeting here at this time. I will see to it that you are rewarded for this."

Kallen ducked down again. "It was Tara," she said with a growl. "Tara sold us out. Damn it! I knew she couldn't be trusted."

"We all did," Naoto said grimly. "She just proved us right."

"Come out and we will give you a fair hearing," Andon called out.

"Bullshit," Kallen murmured under her breath.

"Kallen, you gotta get out of here," Naoto hissed and turned to Ohgi. "Ohgi, get Kallen out of here."

Ohgi nodded grimly and grabbed Kallen's arm gently, looking around rapidly for the back exit. He spotted it as well as a stack of crates and narrowed his eyes, clearly judging whether he would get there in time.

"Big Brother…" Kallen whispered, worriedly.

"I'll be right behind you, Kallen," Naoto said. He drew Kallen into a brief hug and added, "I love you, Little Sister, now go."

Kallen swallowed. "I love you too, Big Brother _,_ " she whispered, hugging her big brother back before releasing him.

"I'll cover you. Go," Naoto ordered and, before Kallen and Ohgi could respond, he dived out from behind the table and fired his handgun rapidly at the Britannians before diving behind a stack of metal boxes. Using the distraction, Ohgi and Kallen bolted from behind the table and ran past Naoto's temporary cover before diving behind another, taller stack of metal boxes, just in time to avoid a barrage of bullets aiming their way.

"There's the back exit," Ohgi murmured, pointing. "We're going to have to make a run for it." There was no more cover between their current hiding place and the back door.

Naoto dove over to join them, whirled around, and started firing back at the Britannians. Kallen gasped when she saw that her brother was bleeding from a bullet wound in his arm and his thigh, the latter of which was bleeding heavily. He was panting, his eyes wide with pain, but he still fired as rapidly as he could.

That was until he ran out of ammo. "Damn it!" Naoto hissed, throwing the gun away.

"Here," Ohgi said, handing his gun to Naoto who glanced at him. He smiled a little and added, "You've always been the better shot anyway."

Naoto gave him a pained, weak smile and, clicking the safety off, immediately began firing back but his movements were becoming unsteady and the blood was still gushing rapidly from the wound in his thigh. Kallen swallowed, her eyes wide with horror; her brother was bleeding out in front of her and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Go, Kallen, Ohgi, get out of here," Naoto ordered tiredly, struggling to remain on his feet and leaning heavily against the crates, still firing at the Britannians. Kallen, after briefly peeking around her brother, could see that the enemy was getting closer.

"C'mon," Ohgi said and, grabbing her arm again, bolted for the entrance. Kallen quickly ran after him.

When they neared the door, Kallen glanced back once.

Just in time to see her bloodstained, probably functioning on adrenaline only, older brother throw himself between the bullet General Andon had just fired and Kallen. The bullet struck him straight through the forehead and Kallen's scream of horror echoed throughout the warehouse as her big brother fell motionless to the ground.

Ohgi shoved Kallen through the back exit and dived after her, swiftly slamming the door closed behind him and grabbing Kallen's handgun. Kallen heard him fire the gun twice but she was still staring at the door, tears streaming down her face, her eyes wide with disbelief, horror, and despair.

Her big brother…

Her big brother was…

Her big brother was dead!

"C'mon, Kallen, we've gotta go. We aren't safe here," Ohgi said, shaking Kallen's shoulders in an attempt to break her out of her shock.

More bullets slamming into the door as well as Ohgi's constant shaking finally jolted Kallen out of her shock and she mutely got to her feet. Ohgi handed her handgun back to her and she, numbly, took it before the two bolted down the alley between two warehouses. They rounded the corner of another and yet another, heading for the entrance to the ghetto that they had used to get there, before they were stopped.

A Britannian soldier appeared in front of them, firing at them but Ohgi dodged out of the way in time, pushing Kallen in the opposite direction and the bullet passed harmlessly between them. Kallen crashed hard against the wall, barely managing to keep her hood up and her sunglasses on, but her handgun was knocked out of her hand. Ohgi dove forward and grabbed the soldier's arm, wrenching it backwards swiftly. He hissed in pain as his gun was forced out of his hand and Ohgi kicked it away. But then the soldier whirled around and slammed a fist into Ohgi's face, throwing him backwards again. He then advanced on Ohgi, grabbing him by the neck and pinning him to the wall, tightening his grip. Ohgi struggled to escape and breathe.

Kallen froze, eyes wide with horror. _No, no, I can't lose Ohgi too!_ She cried silently and began looking around for her gun but it was too far away for her to reach in time. She felt helpless.

Then she remembered the other weapon that her brother had given her only a few months earlier when she turned sixteen. Her hand went into the pocket of her jacket and she pulled out her wallet, pressing a hidden button to reveal the knife that was hidden within it.

"You damn Eleven, you're gonna die here," the soldier hissed, tightening his grip and Ohgi's face seemed to be turning a bit blue.

Kallen screamed and jumped onto the soldier's back and slammed the knife straight into the back of his neck, forcing him to release Ohgi and taking them both to the ground. Warm blood gushed out of the wound, washing over Kallen's arm and splashing into her face as she wrenched the knife free, staring at both the bloody knife and the vicious wound.

She had done that. She had stabbed the soldier.

She could feel him go still beneath her and she didn't need to feel his neck to know that he was dead.

She had just killed someone.

She felt herself shaking, the knife falling from her numb fingers, and nausea rolling around in her stomach. She clenched her teeth, trying to bite back the bile that rose up in the back of her throat but she still felt sick; the coppery stench of blood made her nausea worse.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "C'mon, Kallen, we're still not safe here," Ohgi's voice whispered. "C'mon, Naoto…Naoto wouldn't have wanted you to die here."

 _Naoto…_ The grief over her brother's death came back to mix with the horror but she bit it back and swallowed her tears. Ohgi was right. Naoto would want her to live on and she would live on, she would live on for her brother.

She could grieve later. For now, she and Ohgi needed to get to safety.

She swallowed again and nodded before slowly getting to her feet. "My…My wallet…" she whispered. She didn't want to leave that behind; Naoto had gotten that for her. It was probably one of the few things she had left that were from her brother.

"I have it. Let's go. I can hear them behind us," Ohgi said.

Kallen swallowed but nodded and the two bolted away from the warehouses, heading directly for the entrance to the ghettos.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: (pokes head slowly out of bomb shelter)**

 **Kallen: (sharpening Blaze's flaming machete and glaring at Blaze)**

 **Blaze: eep! (Ducks back into bomb shelter and slams door shut)**

 **Bakura: (rolls eyes) guess we're stuck doing this this time. Well, you foolish mortals, you got lucky and got another update before the New Year, before Christmas even, so you'd best be happy about that**

 **Suzaku: don't be mean to the reviewers, Bakura**

 **Bakura: tch, that's just the way I am, fool. You'd best get used to it (strides off to go steal something)**

 **Lelouch: what _hasn't_ he stolen yet, I wonder? Eh, whatever (glances at where his electromagnetic pulse gun is charging) hmm, fully charged (disconnects it and lifts it up) Ready to go hunt down the bitch, Kallen?**

 **Kallen: (lifts up Blaze's flaming machete) hell yeah**

 **Lelouch and Kallen: (head off to hunt down Tara)**

 **Suzaku: she's gone, Blaze**

 **Blaze: (pokes head out of bomb shelter and breathes a sigh of relief) thank god**

 **Allen: um, why is she in a bomb shelter?**

 **Lenalee: I have no idea**

 **Kanda: tch**

 **Suzaku: who…?**

 **Blaze: my three favorite characters from the anime that has quickly become my second favorite anime of all time (Code Geass/R2 is number 1 in case anyone was wondering). By the way, I don't own D Gray man. And I'm in a bomb shelter because I pissed off someone who can kick my ass**

 **Kallen: (strides into room and glares furiously at Blaze) where is Tara?**

 **Blaze: city-closet. Allen, Kanda, Lenalee, why don't you help her look?**

 **Lenalee: okay**

 **Kanda: tch, the beansprout would just get lost**

 **Allen: My name is Allen, BaKanda!**

 **Blaze: (watches as Lenalee and an arguing Allen and Kanda lead Kallen into city-closet) well, while they're doing that, I suppose I should end this. I hope that enjoyed this chapter and reviews are much appreciated.**


	17. The White Knight's Debut

**Blaze: (nervously pokes head out of bunker and sees a mob wielding pitchforks and torches outside) eep! Why are you after me _again?_**

 **Mob: we can't find Tara**

 **Blaze: ah, well, Bakura! Do the beginning author's note (bolts into bunker, slams door shut, and locks it)**

 **Bakura: (growls) no. Suzaku, you do it (strides off)**

 **Suzaku: again? Oh all right. This is the third and final part of this battle and the next chapter covers the "Aftermath" of the event in which something happens that is very important. Well, now to thank those who reviewed. Uh, where's the paper?**

 **Lelouch: (pulls out list of people who reviewed the last chapter) Blaze would like to thank _ewertondragon, Demons Anarchy of Pride, harlequin320, Littleladybug2, Shadow-Shinobi666, Blacksword Zero, F.C.C.S, B-Kira, Doommajor, OBSERVER01, DYnoJackal19,Dadycoool, Republic Che,_ and _Shimmering-Sky_ for reviewing the last chapter. She sends her gratitude.**

 **Suzaku: she hopes that you enjoy this chapter, even though it is only twelve pages long, but it is over 6,000 words long so that's good. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 _March 1, 2016_

 _Underground Tunnels, Outskirts of the Osaka Settlement_

 _Hozumi walked into the main chamber where the majority of his followers were gathered and they glanced up. Naora pushed herself away from the wall that she was leaning against and Nomi turned to face the leader of the Crimson Sakuras._

 _"Have you found out anything, Nomi?" Hozumi asked._

 _"Nothing much but Naora came up with an idea," Nomi said._

 _"What kind of idea?" Hozumi asked, turning to Naora who leaned back against the wall, folding her arms across her chest, her eyes fixed on him._

 _"I was thinking far into the future," she said. "For when we take control of the city itself, I was thinking of a way that would allow us to keep Britannia from claiming it again once we've gotten control of it."_

 _"We first have to get control of it and we're focusing on your plan for right now, Naora," Hozumi said and that plan was taking control of the Osaka Military Base. Naora was the one who was working through all the details of that plan while Nomi was in charge of gathering information but they wouldn't be ready to implement that plan until they got more resources and weapons to use._

 _"And we can't do much with my plan until you get more resources and weapons," Naora mused as if reading Hozumi's thoughts._

 _"Yeah but, once I speak to our supplier, I'm sure that it won't take too long to get our supplies and resources," Hozumi said. "But, back to the matter at hand, what is your idea anyway?" He was curious._

 _Naora explained it, adding, "And if we're careful where we place them, we can avoid damaging the buildings and, potentially, causing civilian deaths. Also, I think we should use the City Hall as our headquarters when we do take the city."_

 _Hozumi hummed in agreement. "I agree, on both accounts," he said. "All right, once we take the Osaka Military Base, we'll implement your plan, Naora."_

 _"What of the person in charge of the military base if it's not General Andon?" Tadayoshi asked. "Do we kill him?"_

 _"No. That had been the original idea but I've decided that we can use him. Not only is he likely going to have information that we could use but he could also be used as a bargaining chip should things go south," Hozumi said and then turned to Nomi. "I want you to keep going back to the Osaka Settlement. There has to be something that you can find out that'll be able to help us."_

 _"I won't be able to get near the base itself, I wasn't yesterday, but I can try. I'll do my best though," Nomi said._

 _"That's all you really can do," Naora mused._

 **. . .**

 **17**

 **The White Knight's Debut**

 _June 28, 2016_

 _Major General Pyne's Office, Osaka Military Base_

Lelouch gazed out of the large windows of Major General Pyne's office, studying the city of Osaka that lay in front of him. It was late; the sun was sinking beyond the horizon and stars were beginning to wink into existence in the dark sky.

Lelouch was thinking about the most recent battle. The lack of reinforcements during the retaking of the Osaka Military Base had taken Lelouch by surprise; he had expected the Crimson Sakuras to launch their reinforcements but they hadn't.

There was also the issue of Major General Pyne.

"They took him to the city?" Lelouch asked, turning to face Lieutenant Colonel Gretchen Frost who stood at attention in front of the desk.

"Yes, Your Highness," Frost said. "That was what Lieutenant Meadows said."

Lelouch hummed in thought and turned toward Jeremiah. "What do you think, Margrave? Why would they take Pyne to the city?" he asked.

"Possibly to use as a bargaining chip, Your Highness," Jeremiah suggested.

"Perhaps." Lelouch walked to the desk and sat down, dismissing Frost with a wave of his hand. She bowed and walked out of the office. He decided that he would worry about Pyne later; for now, he should settle matters with the most recent battle that his men had just finished. "What's the causality report, Margrave?"

"There were no causalities on our end, Your Highness, but twenty soldiers have been injured, five are in critical condition," Jeremiah reported.

Lelouch nodded.

A knock sounded on the door and Lelouch turned toward it. "Come in," he called and the door opened to reveal Stonewell. She looked exhausted as she made her way into the office, closing the door behind her and saluting clumsily.

"At ease, Lieutenant. What did you find out?" Lelouch asked.

Stonewell relaxed, wiping the sweat from her brow. "The streets are pretty empty. I ran across a family who insisted that I should get inside to avoid the terrorists who, apparently, do a sweep of the city for civilians once an hour. The civilians that they do find are taken to City Hall but, with the way they've organized their convoy, they almost seem to be protecting City Hall. There are two lines of defense. The knightmares that didn't engage in the battle here encircle City Hall, there are eighteen of them, while there is a defensive line of Bamides and tanks in front of the knightmares. No foot soldiers as far as I could see however and, after looking at the numbers that make up both defensive line, I estimate that our forces outnumber theirs by three to one at least."

Lelouch nodded, pressing his lips together in thought, eyes narrowed. "Three to one odds in our favor," he murmured, his mind turning cogs in his head. The Crimson Sakuras were reckless but they weren't stupid; they must have known that they would be outnumbered. That would explain why they hadn't bothered on sending in reinforcements. And yet they were setting up a defense as if they knew that Lelouch was going to attack them. Were they really willing to fight against the Black Knights even though the odds were badly against them?

Or did they have something else in mind?

But what?

Lelouch went over what the Crimson Sakuras could possibly have in mind, why they would prepare to fight in a very unfair battle with the odds against them.

Not to mention…

"You said that the second line of defense was in _front_ of the circle of knightmares around City Hall, yes? Not around it like the knightmares were?" Lelouch asked.

"That's what I saw, Your Highness," Stonewell said.

 _They're trying to draw us in with that first defense line and yet the circle of knightmares suggests that they are aware that I might attack from a different direction but they are still prepared to fight,_ Lelouch thought. _Why? Unless…_

"It's a trap," Lelouch murmured.

"Your Highness?" Jeremiah said, turning to gaze at Lelouch who gazed at the door contemplatively before turning to Stonewell.

"Is that all?" he asked.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Then you're dismissed." Lelouch went back to his thoughts, running through them again before all the pieces fell into place and he leaned back in his chair. "A trap," he murmured. "Make it look like they are going to fight despite the odds against them but have a failsafe that would ensure that they get the advantage. Clever."

Lelouch turned to Jeremiah as a plan began to form in his mind. "Margrave, are any of the tanks we fought against still functional?"

 **. . .**

 _Security Room, Command Building, Osaka Military Base_

Dimitri frowned to himself as he studied the surveillance tapes, trying to find something that would indicate just what could have happened to Major General Pyne as well as just what happened in the command building to begin with. So far, he hadn't found anything that he didn't already know from before and during the attack.

However, as he scrolled through the footage, he paused at a specific scene in which Hozumi Murkami and a young black-haired woman were talking next to the stairs of the military base, starting with the black-haired woman. He turned on the audio and listened:

[ _"I do not approve of your plan to use Major General Pyne's family against him."_ ]

[ _"I don't see why not. It'll get me answers and I don't plan on harming them if he gives me what I want."_ ]

[ _"Still. I know my boss doesn't like your decision."_ ]

[ _"That's his problem. But this is not his organization, it's mine._ ]

[ _"Yes, but we are the one that are supplying you."_ ]

[ _"Che. Just because you supply us does not mean we take orders from you. We are not one of your cells. I don't even know why the Liberators are so interested in my organization anyway._ ]

Dimitri paused the video tape, eyes wide. _The Liberators._ He shut down the computer and bolted, heading straight toward the office Prince Lelouch had claimed for himself.

 **. . .**

 _Outside, Osaka Military Base_

Kay leaned against the wall of the command building, watching as the various soldiers attempted to find a place to sleep for the night since the barracks had been destroyed. Many of them were already asleep but some weren't and a small group of Britannians were stationed on the northern end of the base keeping watch.

Kay was tired, the adrenaline he felt during the battle had vanished, but he felt too tired to actually sleep. Rayne had no problem; she had already crashed out next to him with her head pillowed on her arms. Suzaku was seated cross-legged with his back to the command building on the other side of the main doors, his gaze fixed on the star-speckled sky. Lila was in the medical transport where the wounded soldiers had been moved and Tadashi was crashed out, fast asleep, next to the medical transport; he had joined with Suzaku and Lila in helping the injured earlier.

Kay yawned and rubbed his eyes as someone came to join him. He turned to find Parker taking a seat beside him.

"I talked with my comrades and they told me about your piloting. I always knew that you would be an Ace knightmare pilot," Parker mused.

"Basic training helped," Kay said.

"They usually don't go into much detail about actually knightmare combat though and yet you seemed like a natural," Parker said. He glanced at him and added, "I'm proud of you."

Kay felt a feeling of warmth go through him. That was the first time anyone in his family had ever told him that they were proud of him; his parents certainly never did, believing him to be worthless.

"Thanks," he murmured softly.

Parker sighed. "You hate me, don't you?" he asked. "I know Rayne does."

"She doesn't hate you…not exactly. She's just…well…Mom and Dad hurt us and she…hasn't exactly come to terms with it yet," Kay said. _I haven't either really,_ he thought.

"Gretchen told me about what Rayne told her that day you met her in the park. I gotta admit, I'm shocked that Mom and Dad would really treat you two that way but…that doesn't exactly explain why Rayne is so hostile towards me and Gretchen."

Kay shrugged, not wanting to talk about Rayne while she was sleeping beside him. "That's something you should discuss with her," he said.

"I think we all could benefit from just sitting down and talking," Parker said.

"Maybe."

"How about when we get back to Tokyo?" Parker suggested.

Kay was silent for a long moment and yawned. "I can ask her but I don't know what she'll say," he said softly.

Parker blinked at him sympathetically. "Get some sleep, Kayden. You need it," he said, patting Kay's shoulder.

"It's Kay now, Parker, but you're right," Kay said. He could, at least, try to get some sleep.

Parker stood up and walked away while Kay laid down beside his sister and, using his own arms as a pillow, closed his eyes and attempted to go to sleep.

 **. . .**

 _Major General Pyne's Office, Osaka Military Base_

Lelouch broke off in his discussion of what he planned on doing to take back Osaka when a knock sounded at the door and turned toward it. "Come in," he called and the door opened to reveal Dimitri, looking out of breath as if he had run all the way there. "Major Duncan, what brings you here?"

"Your Highness, I've found something important that I thought you should know," Dimitri said with a salute. "While I haven't found out just what happened to Major General Pyne, I did find out who has been supplying the Crimson Sakuras."

"Who?" Lelouch asked, interested.

"The Liberators."

Jeremiah's jaw dropped. "The Liberators? So they have made their move in Area 11," he said.

"It would appear so but through the use of another terrorist organization," Lelouch mused thoughtfully. "Technically speaking, the Liberators, themselves, have not made a move on Area 11 just yet but still. Thank you, Major Duncan."

Dimitri bowed and left when Lelouch dismissed him.

"Though the Liberators are a dangerous threat, we need to focus, right now, on taking Osaka back," Lelouch said.

"And you think that this plan will work?" Jeremiah said.

"The first phase will determine whether or not my suspicions are correct. If they are then the first phase will provide us with the perfect cover to start phase two. The Purist Faction along with the 23rd Squadron and Lloyd's pet project will act as the rearguard who will take on the defense circle around City Hall while the rest will take on the first line of defense," Lelouch said.

"Lloyd's pet project?" Jeremiah echoed.

Lelouch smiled. "Lloyd said that he's never tested it in battle but I figured this is the perfect chance. If it doesn't work, the Purist Faction and the 23d Squadron will be more than enough to make up for it. If it _does_ work then it would take the enemy completely by surprise."

"What exactly is Lloyd's pet project?"

"The prototype of the first ever seventh generation knightmare frame."

 **. . .**

 _Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11_

Ohgi guided Kallen quickly into the base and looked around. "Sugiyama, tell everyone that they need to grab everything important and get to the emergency escape tunnel now," he ordered. Sugiyama, who looked like he was about to question why, took one look at their blood-soaked clothes, and decided against it.

"Yes, sir," he said and darted off, shouting orders as he did so.

"Tamaki, find any and all incriminating evidence and burn it," Ohgi ordered.

"Right away but…what's going on? Why are you two covered in blood? Why's Kallen shaking? And where's Naoto?" Tamaki asked.

Kallen started crying again and Ohgi rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "I'll explain later," he said, "but we have to get out of here. Tara sold us out, Tamaki. Britannia is going to be knocking on our door any moment now."

"Shit," Tamaki cursed and bolted, grabbing anything and everything that could incriminate them.

Sugiyama came running back into the room with Yoshida, Minami, Nagata, and Inoue right behind him. Ohgi frowned sadly when he realized that Naoto's Resistance had been reduced to eight members because of Tara's betrayal.

"Why are we leaving?" Inoue asked.

"Tara sold us out," Tamaki said as he ran past Inoue, carrying a stack of paper that he threw into the center of the room. He then darted off, returned a moment later with a match, and, lighting it, threw it onto the pile. The papers immediately caught aflame and Tamaki darted off again.

"We have to move now," Ohgi said while Inoue's eyes went wide with shock.

"First, tell us, where's Naoto?" Minami said.

Kallen continued to cry and Ohgi's face went grave. "Naoto's dead, Minami," he murmured.

Inoue gasped, her hand going to her lips, and her eyes welling up with tears while everyone else went wide-eyed with shock, even Tamaki paused in the midst of his packing to stare in shock.

Swallowing, Yoshida whispered, "Tell us everything when we get to safety."

"I will," Ohgi said and handed Kallen off to Inoue who gently wrapped her arms around the red-haired girl. He then darted off to grab his things as well as anything Naoto wouldn't want Britannia to find. Once he had packed everything in a ratted old suitcase, he darted down the stairs.

"Let's go. Tamaki, implement Emergency Plan Alpha as soon as we're clear," Ohgi ordered.

"Yes, sir," Tamaki said and darted off while the remnants of the Kozuki Resistance darted down the stairs into the basement of the base and into the escape tunnel that would take them to the edge of the Shinjuku Ghetto. Once they were halfway to the edge, Tamaki rejoined them, holding the detonator in his hand. He pressed it and, though it was muted due to the distance and the walls of the tunnel, they all heard the explosion that was the destruction of their first base.

Ohgi turned to face his friends, noting that Kallen was no longer crying or shaking nor did she look like she was going to be sick as she had after killing that Britannian soldier. "We're going to have to go to ground now and separate," he said. "Tara's seen all of our faces. She knows who we are. Kallen's the only one who can still be seen in public simply because Britannia will be more likely to believe her, due to her noble family, over Tara any day. However, I wouldn't put it past Tara to tell General Andon about all of us."

"It's a good thing we kept a lot of information about ourselves from her," Tamaki said.

Ohgi nodded in agreement. "Just…try not to draw attention to yourself. We…We can't do anything now. We've lost too many of our men and our leader and we…we need time to regroup and…" He trailed off, uncertain of how to continue. He wasn't charismatic like Naoto.

"You're our leader now, Ohgi," Inoue said softly.

"Yeah, Naoto chose ya to be his second so that makes ya our leader now," Tamaki said.

Ohgi swallowed and then gave them a soft smile. "I can't promise that I'll be as good as Naoto was but…Naoto's dream is mine also and now that he's…" He trailed off, paused, and then added, "I will do what I can to try and make Naoto's dream come true."

"And we'll help you every step of the way," Inoue promised.

"Agreed," Sugiyama said.

"Naoto would've wanted that," Kallen said softly, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Ohgi turned to Kallen and said softly, "You need to return to Ashford Academy, Kallen."

"What? But I wanna…"

"Right now, there is nothing to help with, Kallen, and Naoto would've wanted you to go back to school," Ohgi said firmly.

Kallen didn't like it but she slowly nodded her assent. While she didn't like it, Ohgi knew that she was still overcome with grief over the death of her big brother and that she needed time to grieve and come to terms with it. Ohgi felt that, perhaps, being around friends could help with that; not just the resistance but also the friends that Ohgi _knew_ she had made at Ashford Academy.

"Let's move," Ohgi murmured and led the way to the entrance to the tunnel with the shattered remnants of the Kozuki Resistance trailing behind him.

 **. . .**

 _June 29, 2016_

 _Osaka Settlement, Area 11_

The six tanks moved slowly toward the main road that led to the City Hall at the center of the city. No one was driving them. They moved on their own due to gravity because they were traveling downhill but also because the break wasn't on. The damage done to their frames was clear; scorch marks covered them but their canons looked fully functional as they aimed at the line of tanks and Bamides that lay between them and City Hall.

No one knew what to make of the six tanks that were slowly making their way deeper and deeper into the settlement. They glided one after another, moving down the main road, heading toward City Hall but not firing a single shot. The city was quiet; the only noise came from the tanks as they rumbled across the road, gaining speed as the incline steepened slightly.

Within City Hall, Yosuke Hamada frowned at the sight of the six tanks and looked at Nomi and the others that were gathered around him in the governor's office—said governor was currently tied up, gagged, and in a supply closet—before saying, "Six tanks. I would've thought they would send more as their vanguard."

"Six tanks is a lot of firepower though," Nomi said. "Though they haven't fired anything yet."

"They could be waiting to get closer or their canons could be damaged," Naora, who, along with Tadayoshi and several other survivors of the battle at the military base, had arrived the night before, suggested. "And if they're damaged, they could be used to try and ram a hole in our first defensive line. Best unleash our little surprise and take 'em out now."

"I was hoping to wait until they brought out their knightmares," Yosuke said.

Just then, an explosion occurred in the defensive line and Yosuke swore when he saw one of the Bamides go up in flames. "Damn it. Did you see who fired that?"

"I think it was the tank at the back of that line, the one that's slightly above the rest 'cause of the hill they're rolling down," Nomi said.

"Take 'em out now before they get in another shot," Naora hissed.

"Right," Yosuke said and pressed the detonator. He watched as the detonator-activated mines ignited with a series of resounding _booms_ and the six tanks were enveloped in a storm of flames. Debris went flying in all directions; dirt, rocks, pieces of metal. The explosions had caused the windows in the buildings to shatter but did little else; the majority of the blast was concentrated on the broad main street, obliterating the six tanks and filling the street with a thick cloud of smoke.

"Yes, that got 'em. Guess that commander just got lucky and…huh?" Yosuke frowned and then his eyes widened in utter shock when he saw what happened next. A whole squadron of Sutherlands shot through the thick smoke and crashed into the Bamides and tanks with their jousting lances held at the ready in their hands; beyond the first squadron of knightmares came a second one, that was smaller than the first, which peppered the Bamides and tanks with gunfire.

"W…What?" he said in confusion.

"They tricked us!" Tadayoshi exclaimed, eyes wide with shock. "They…They used those tanks to convince us to set off the mines and then used the aftereffect of the explosions as a cover to launch this attack."

"The commander predicted what we were going to do and planned accordingly," Nomi realized.

"Whoever that commander is, he's a damn good strategist," Naora said.

 **. . .**

 _Outside, Osaka Settlement_

Lelouch sneezed and sighed, wondering who was talking about him but decided that he didn't care and returned his attention to the digital map of the settlement that showed the positions of everyone.

" _Are you sure you want to be in the middle of this, Your Highness?_ " Jeremiah asked from the cockpit of his Sutherland.

"If a leader doesn't lead, how does he expect his subordinates to follow?" Lelouch replied calmly. In the previous battle, he knew it wouldn't be that long, based on the limited number of defense from the terrorists, so he decided against participating. This one was looking to be a bit tougher and the more fighters would help in this instance. He added, "Lloyd, is the _Lancelot_ ready to be launched yet?"

" _It's ready and waiting, Your Highness,_ " Lloyd said and Lelouch could hear the child-like enthusiasm in his voice.

"Wait for the order to launch. Major Frost? Margrave Gottwald? Are you and your squadrons ready?"

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Kay and Jeremiah responded at the same time.

" _We will stay near you, Your Highness,_ " Jeremiah added.

"I appreciate the concern, Margrave, but I know how to fight," Lelouch assured him.

" _Still, I will watch your back, Your Highness,_ " Jeremiah stated.

Lelouch smiled to himself. Jeremiah was taking his orders to prove his loyalty to Lelouch and his family very seriously and it was quickly becoming clear to Lelouch that the orange-eyed Margrave really was loyal only to him and his family.

"Thank you…Jeremiah," he said, startling Jeremiah by the use of his first name. _At least I didn't call you Jer,_ he thought in amusement.

" _Your Highness, the first defensive line has been pretty much wiped out,_ " Major Hendon, who had asked Lelouch if he could take part in the battle to reclaim Osaka, said.

"Good work. Margrave, Major Frost, you two have the green light. Let's move," Lelouch said and thrust the controls of his Sutherland forward, speeding across the destroyed road. Just because he lacked a lot of physical strength and stamina—he had gained quite a bit during basic training but was nowhere near on the same level as Kay and Suzaku—that didn't mean that he couldn't handle piloting a knightmare frame. Besides, he did have training in that and had scored pretty high on the stimulation test. He mused that it really wasn't much harder than the stimulation had been.

He was nowhere near on the same level as Kay though, who was moving swiftly and nimbly between the knightmares, crashing his jousting lance into the Glasgow's assault rifle or ramming it into the Glasgow's factsphere. Lelouch knew that if the _Lancelot_ failed to work, Kay would be more than enough to take out the enemy.

He cast a glance at the digital map as he thrust his jousting lance into a Glasgow's chest and quickly dodged out of the way to avoid the Slash Harkens the Glasgow fired at him. _Only six left,_ he thought and connected to the A.S.E.E.C.'s base.

"Lloyd?" he said.

" _Yes?_ " Lloyd said hopefully.

"You are free to launch the _Lancelot_ ," Lelouch said.

Lloyd cheered and shouted, " _Cecile, get ready to launch,_ " right before he disconnected the transmission.

 _Now time to see if Suzaku is a true Ace Knightmare Pilot and if the_ Lancelot _is ready to be part of actual combat,_ Lelouch thought.

 **. . .**

Suzaku situated himself into the seat of the cockpit as Cecile moved away from the _Lancelot_. "Just remember not to take any risks, Private Kururugi. The _Lancelot_ isn't yet outfitted with an ejection mechanism," she said firmly. She paused and then added, "Also, please see if the Blaze Luminous works this time. We think we have gotten all the glitches out of that."

"I understand and I will," Suzaku said and moved his seat into the cockpit, inserting the activation key, and typing in the activation code before fitting the headset over his head. He then gripped the controls and, as soon as Lloyd gave him the go-head, he thrust his controls forward and surged away from the launching bay so fast that he was sure he had knocked down anyone behind him from the powerful wind that he had conjured up.

" _Going full throttle right out of the launching bay,_ " Lloyd said with a grin as his face appeared on the screen in front of Suzaku as he glided straight into the city and headed toward where the battle was taking place around City Hall. " _Oh and try not to get any scratches on my baby._ " His image vanished and Suzaku decided that he just didn't get the eccentric genius and he wasn't going to try.

He shot forward, bypassing a few ally knightmares and launched himself at the first enemy he saw, spinning and slamming one of his landspinners into the face of the Glasgow, throwing it backwards. Whirling around, he pulled the jousting lance that the _Lancelot_ had been outfitted with, temporarily until Lloyd and Cecile could work out the glitches in the Master Vibration Swords that were the true weapons for the _Lancelot_ , into his hand and slammed it into the chest of the Glasgow, striking the Yggdrasil Drive. The pilot ejected quickly and Suzaku jumped back to avoid the explosion and launched himself swiftly at his next opponent who started firing bullets at him.

 _Time to test out the Blaze Luminous again,_ he thought and moved the knightmare's arm in front of him and pressed the activation button for the Blaze Luminous. Almost immediately, a green shield in the shape of a flat half-sphere sprang into existence in front of his arm; the bullets slammed into the shield, the shield didn't falter, and the bullets were diverted away.

"The Blaze Luminous works, Lloyd," Suzaku said as he charged forward, slamming another spinkick into the factsphere of the Glasgow that had been firing at him, forcing the pilot to eject, and then whirling around, angling the Blaze Luminous to catch the barrage of bullets that had come from another Glasgow.

" _Yes! Now time to perfect the MVSs,_ " Lloyd cheered.

" _After the battle,_ " Cecile reminded him.

" _Yeah, yeah, I know,_ " Lloyd said.

The Glasgow forwent firing bullets at him and charged at him instead, firing his Slash Harkens at Suzaku. Suzaku danced out of the way and fired his own back at the Glasgow, crashing into its Slash Harkens and throwing them off course. He then charged forward, thrusting the jousting lance into the factsphere of the Glasgow and throwing it off its feet and the pilot ejected.

The remaining three Glasgows charged at him and Suzaku pressed his lips together and thrust the controls forward, shooting past the three of them and they crashed into each other. He whirled around and fired his Slash Harkens at the one he was closet to, sinking them into the Glasgow's shoulders and ripping them out. He then charged forward, thrust the jousting lance into the hole made by one of his Slash Harkens, succeeding in severing the arm. He jumped back and angled the Blaze Luminous in front of him when the second Glasgow began firing at him before dancing out of the way to avoid the gunfire from the first Glasgow.

The third one charged at him but Suzaku angled the controls and danced out of the way before slamming his jousting lance into the side of the third Glasgow when it came up alongside him. The power of the thrust sent the third Glasgow flying into the first one, taking them both off their feet and both pilots were force to quickly eject.

As the first and third Glasgows had, temporarily, been used to shield Suzaku from the gunfire of the second Glasgow, he had to quickly bring up the Blaze Luminous to catch the gunfire again. He swiftly circled the Glasgow and launched himself at it, slamming his jousting lance into the factsphere. He yanked the jousting lance away and jumped back before lashing out with a kick into the already damaged factsphere. The force of the kick threw the final Glasgow off its feet as well and the pilot was forced to eject.

Suzaku took a deep breath as the adrenaline began to fade and couldn't help but smile a little when he heard Lloyd cheering in the background.

 **. . .**

Jeremiah stared. That was all he could do. The appearance of the white-and-gold knightmare frame that Prince Lelouch had called the prototype of the first seventh generation knightmare frame hadn't been that big of a surprise, since his prince had told him it would happen. But seeing the pilot of the _Lancelot_ take out _six_ Glasgows in virtually no time at all had been a surprise. Whoever was the pilot of the _Lancelot_ , they were clearly an Ace pilot.

" _Who's piloting that knightmare frame?_ " Kewell wondered.

" _I don't know but they're a pretty amazing pilot,_ " Villetta said.

"He really is," Jeremiah mused. "Your Highness, who is the pilot of that knightmare frame?" Prince Lelouch had never told Jeremiah that; when Jeremiah had asked, he just smiled and said that he would find out eventually.

" _You have to see him to believe it, Jeremiah,_ " Prince Lelouch said simply and Jeremiah could practically see the enigmatic smirk on his prince's face. A moment later, he had keyed on the loud speaker of his Sutherland and said, " _This is Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, Commander of the 11_ _th_ _Regiment, codenamed the Black Knights. Surrender now and you will be given a fair trial. Continue to resist and you will be taken out._ "

A moment later, an unfamiliar accented voice said, " _This is Yosuke Hamada, third in command of the Crimson Sakuras. We surrender_."

Jeremiah relaxed, thankful that the battle seemed to be over, and glanced toward where the _Lancelot_ was standing. _Just who is the pilot of the_ Lancelot _?_ He wondered silently.

 **. . .**

After the surrender of the remnants of the Crimson Sakuras, Lelouch had them all arrested and taken back to the military base where they would be held until he returned to Tokyo. He then turned to gaze at his friends who had ejected out of their Sutherlands once Jeremiah and the Purist Faction, whom Lelouch had ordered to do a sweep of the city checking for more threats, reported that there were no more threats in the city.

"That was fun," Rayne said, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "And showing them terrorist bastards what's what was fun too. Now I'm sure all of us are dying from curiosity, Your Highness, so do you suppose you can answer the question I'm pretty sure _everyone_ is thinking right now? Just who is the pilot of that knightmare frame?" She pointed to where the _Lancelot_ was standing as the pilot hadn't yet left it.

"I really am curious as well," Kay said. "The way he moves…he reminds me of someone though."

"Yeah, I got that feeling too," Rayne said.

Lelouch chuckled; however, before he could say anything, the _Lancelot_ suddenly shot forward and thrust his arm in front of Lelouch, activating the glowing green shield. Lelouch whirled around just in time to see a bullet slam into the Blaze Luminous and bounce off.

Lila whipped out her rifle and aimed it at the building from which the sniper's bullet had come, her eyes narrowing as she, activating the scope on her rifle, watched and then pulled the trigger. The bullet shot forward, slammed through a window, and struck the figure that had just run into the bullet's flight path without realizing it.

Jeremiah was already heading toward the building, disappearing inside while Lelouch turned to Lila, still bathed in the light from Suzaku's Blaze Luminous. "Very nice shooting, Lila, he said.

Lila inclined her head as she lowered her rifle. "I was just doing my duty, Your Highness," she said.

Jeremiah came back about five minutes later, holding something in his hand, and walked over to join Lelouch. "Crimson Sakuras," he said, holding out the patch on which the crest of the Crimson Sakuras. "They must have had one more trick up their sleeve before they surrendered and the sniper must've thought that he may as well." He turned to the _Lancelot_ and added, "And I have you to thank for saving Prince Lelouch's life."

Lelouch turned to his friend's knightmare. "So do I. Come on out. That's an order," he said.

The _Lancelot_ straightened up and the Blaze Luminous deactivated before the cockpit ejected and Lelouch swore he heard the jaws of everyone behind him drop when Suzaku was revealed. Suzaku, using the cable, lowered himself to the ground and walked over to join Lelouch and kneeling.

"I do thank you for saving my life," Lelouch said, gesturing for his old friend to stand up. "I don't know how you saw that sniper and, frankly, I don't care. I'm just grateful that you did."

"There's no need for thanks, Your Highness. I was simply doing my duty," Suzaku replied.

"S…Suzaku? You're that knightmare's pilot?!" Rayne blurted out the question that Lelouch was sure was on everyone's mind.

"Yes, he is," Lelouch said, not taking his eyes off his old friend. "And you have proven yourself a capable pilot and a strong fighter. You've earned this. I am promoting you to Warrant Officer."

Suzaku looked stunned, probably surprised that Lelouch would actually promote him. As far as Lelouch knew, no Honorary Britannian has ever held a rank higher than that of Private, but he felt Suzaku deserved it so he was getting that promotion, whether he liked it or not.

 **. . .**

 _June 30, 2016_

 _Osaka Settlement_

The following day was spent helping the pilots that had been injured and attempting to help the civilians of Osaka get back on their feet after that battle. After the unfortunate death of the governor, something that had happened right before the Crimson Sakuras lost the battle and surrendered, Lelouch had assumed the responsibilities of governor until a new one could be chosen. Currently, he was in the midst of requesting of General Andon that relief aids be sent to Osaka to help the civilians whose homes had been destroyed during the battle.

General Andon looked thoughtful. " _I believe that could be done. It will take time but I will have it sent out as soon as possible,_ " he said. " _For the time being, I want you to remain in Osaka. I will be arriving within a week or two to inform you, personally, of your next mission._ "

Lelouch frowned. He was hoping that he would be able to return to the Tokyo Settlement. "Why can't you tell me what my new mission is now, General?" he asked.

" _Because I want to, personally, observe you, Your Highness, therefore I will be accompanying you. I would get there sooner but there are some problems that have risen up that I must sort out. At the latest, I will arrive by a week from next Thursday but it may be sooner,_ " Andon said.

Lelouch nodded; while he didn't like it, he really had no say since Andon was his superior officer and neither Schneizel nor the Emperor had given him any orders that would countermand Andon's. "Very well. I will see you in two weeks if not sooner, General," he said.

Andon inclined his head and his face vanished from the screen.

Lelouch got up, deciding that he needed some fresh air, and left the command building. He walked over to join where his friends from basic training had gathered. As he neared the area, he heard Tadashi happily grilling Suzaku on his promotion and knightmare frame and smiled to himself.

 _I suppose this is like a break before my next mission. While I would prefer being back in Tokyo, this will do just as well,_ he thought.

He walked over to join his friends, listening to Tadashi's questioning.

"When did you become the pilot of that knightmare frame? What kind is? I've never seen it before but it sure looks awesome," Tadashi said.

Suzaku shifted. "Well, Lelouch kinda just…surprised me by dragging me to meet Lloyd who built it and told him that I was to be the test pilot Lloyd was looking for," he admitted, looking faintly embarrassed but also uncertain.

"I did not drag you. I just asked you to come with me," Lelouch said.

"Still took me by surprise," Suzaku admitted.

"What kind of knightmare is it though? I've never seen anything like it," Rayne said.

"The prototype of the first seventh generation knightmare frame," Lelouch replied.

Rayne whistled. "Nice," she said.

"You were impressive though, Suzaku," Kay said with a faint smile. "But then, you did get a perfect score on the stimulation so I kinda figured that'd happen if you ever got behind the controls of a knightmare frame."

"I never thought I'd ever be a knightmare pilot since Honorary Britannians normally don't get to be knights," Suzaku said, glancing at Lelouch.

"I made an exception. Besides, there's no law against it," the prince said simply.

Suzaku's lips pulled into a frown but he said nothing.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Mob: we still can't find Tara**

 **Blaze: (pokes head out of bunker) Allen, Lenalee, and Kanda were supposed to find her**

 **Kanda: the beansprout got lost and she managed to get past us as a result**

 **Allen: you're clearly hard of hearing or just plain deaf. I told you that she was sneaking past us and you didn't hear me. (Sighs) I suppose I shouldn't be that surprised that you're hard of hearing, or just too slow to understand me; otherwise, you would know that my name is Allen**

 **Kanda: I would not be talking. You're so slow to understand others when they give you directions, it's a no wonder you always get lost, beansprout**

 **Allen: at least I know how to use people's true names. Or maybe you're just a forgetful old man and that's why you don't remember**

 **Kanda: (eye twitches as he draws Mugen) your white hair clearly makes you the old man. Maybe I should cut it off and sell it to another old geezer (glares at Allen)**

 **Allen: wouldn't black hair fetch a better bargain? (Glares back at Kanda)**

 **Blaze: hey, hey, calm down you two! No fighting in…**

 **Kanda and Allen: (gives Blaze a terrifyingly demonic glare) stay out of this!**

 **Blaze: (gulps in terror and bolts back into the bunker) Someone finish the chapter! And I don't own D Gray man and I meant to say that last chapter! (Slams door shut)**

 **Lenalee: (sighs) Blaze hopes that you enjoy this chapter, her first update of 2017, and the next chapter she will try to get up before the end of January. Reviews are much appreciated and thank you very much for reading!**


	18. Aftermath

**And here is the next chapter! (Dodges the fireballs, torches, and knives thrown her way) I'm sorry! I know I said that I'd post this chapter before the end of January but...well...I kinda got distracted**

 **Bakura: naturally**

 **Shut up, Bakura. Anyway, this is chapter 18 where another major OC is introduced (yes, yes, I know. I have a heck of a lot of OCs but I needed them if I wanted to fill the ranks of the Liberators and because there weren't enough canon characters to actually help out with the plot I'm working out) and things happen.**

 **Lelouch: this is a short chapter, isn't it?**

 **Yeah but at least it's an update. It's only 13 pages single spaced and over 6,000 words but it's something. Believe me when I say these short chapters are really nothing compared to the long chapters that are to come.**

 **On a completely unrelated note, I'm working on another CG fic (yes, yes, probably not a good idea considering I already have two in the works [and** _ **Divergence**_ **is really driving me crazy at the moment] but oh well). Summary's on my profile if you're curious about it.**

 **Suzaku: you still need to thank your reviewers**

 **Oh, right, right. Thanks Suzaku. Well, I would like to thank** _ **The Glittery Ninja Espada, ewertondragon, TC9078, SunsetDawn420, Lexor1220, Shadow-Shinobi666, DYnoJackal19, Kami No Raijin, Blacksword Zero, Doommajor, B-Kira, anand891996, OBSERVER01, Scarease, Dadycoool,**_ **and** _ **Shimmering-Sky**_ **for reviewing the last chapter.**

 **Review Reply to** _ **Lexor1220:**_ _I'm glad that you enjoyed this fic and like my OCs. Things for the purist faction hasn't exactly been explored yet but they won't be eliminated, not completely anyway. Also, Clovis...yeah, that pretty much is a given what will happen because of what happens with C.C. and the Shinjuku incident. Also, the anime won't exactly start yet. It starts in March of 2017 so we still have several months to go, which will be focused on Lelouch gaining his reputation among other things. Thank you for your review._

 **Anyway, welp, I'm gonna end this author's note before it gets too much longer. I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _May 29, 2016_

 _Hidden Base, Island of Olkhon, Europia United_

 _The village was quiet, sleeping as it was the middle of the night, but one person remained awake, seated at his desk and scanning the collection of maps, reports, and biographies that lay scattered upon it. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he studied the papers, a frown on his face._

 _"Just how did he manage it? How did he manage to out-think me?" he murmured to himself as he picked up the report from the only survivor of the destruction of the cell he had sent to take out Prince Schneizel in Cambodia._

 _He had underestimated Prince Schneizel. There was no doubt about that. Schneizel was going to be a very dangerous opponent for him to overcome but he would come out on top. He had to if he ever wanted to see Britannia fall._

 _The door to his office opened and a broad-shouldered blonde man walked into the room. "Hello, boss," he greeted the man seated behind the desk._

 _"Michal," the boss said, putting down the report and rubbing his temples._

 _"You seem stressed," Michal mused._

 _"That obvious?" He asked amused as he leaned back in his chair and picked up the mug of coffee that was resting on his desk. Even though it was cold, he still sipped at it._

 _"Yeah. What happened?"_

 _"Adam's cell was taken out completely, only Rebekah got out of there alive," the boss said._

 _Michal blinked in shock. "You mean…we actually_ lost _?"_

 _"Yes," the boss growled in irritation. He was extremely sore about that loss. He had thought that he had perfected the strategy to win each and every engagement he and his followers had got into. And yet, somehow, Schneizel had seen through his plan and counteracted it._

 _It was irritating._

 _"Well, I'm sure that won't happen next time," Michal said soothingly._

 _"Hmph, hopefully not. Now then, what brings you here? You should be back in Japan along with Reyes," the boss said._

 _"I simply came to speak to you about the request that Hozumi Murkami sent regarding resources," Michal replied._

 _The boss raised an eyebrow. "Why would I sanction giving him resources after he squandered the resources I had given to him last time?" he asked._

 _"Because he's still of use to us," Michal suggested._

 _"I have no need for people who can't win simply because they're too reckless and hotheaded to think things through."_

 _"Naora's helping him this time though."_

 _"We can't help every cell and organization that we supply. They need to learn to stand on their own. We can't hold their hand and win their battles for them. We have our own battles to worry about," the boss said flatly._

 _"I agree but the Crimson Sakuras are the only ones who are willing to actually fight against Britannian forces in Japan. All the others are either too small to make much of a difference or just won't do anything, like the Japan Liberation Front," Michal said. "And we just need them to win the upcoming battle. If they get control of one of the biggest cities in Japan, that'll be a good thing, right?"_

 _"Hmm, I'll think about it," the boss said and put the report he still held in his hand back on his desk. "Have you learned anything new about Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally?"_

 _"Prince Lelouch graduated from basic training Wednesday but we still don't know just where he's going to be placed and we've found nothing about Princess Nunnally. She hasn't made her public debut yet so they're keeping her whereabouts low-key," Michal said._

 _"Likely to keep her safe and, according to what I found out about the vi Britannia siblings, it's understandable that they would want to keep her safe," the boss mused._

 _"Sir, why are you so interested in the vi Britannias? I thought you wanted to destroy the Royal Family."_

 _An enigmatic smile crossed the boss's lips but he said nothing._

 _Instead, he thought about the future._

 _He also thought about his plans for the formerly exiled prince._

 _"You may return to Japan now, Michal," the boss said._

 _"Yes, Unity," Michal said with a salute and left the office._

 **. . .**

 **18**

 **Aftermath**

 _July 1, 2016_

 _Beach, Island of Olkhon, Europia United_

"It really is quite beautiful here," she mused, leaning back with her elbows buried in the sand and her long, golden hair cascading onto the ground. Fourteen years old, Adeline Pelletier was a quiet, anti-social young woman who, after a near tragic event six years earlier that resulted in the scar on her shoulder and a near-death experience, usually kept to herself. When she did leave the house, she could often be found in the hangar, working on or piloting a Lupus.

Unity was seated cross-legged beside her, his gaze fixed on Lake Baikal that stretched out in front of him. "There are many places that are like this that exist in the world," he said with a soft smile, turning light-brown eyes to the golden-haired girl laying next to him, a warm summer wind brushing light-brown locks into his face.

She turned onto her side and peered at him, her blue eyes blinking in confusion. "There are?" she asked.

"Yes and when this war is won, I'll take you to all of them," Unity assured her.

She beamed. "I look forward to that day," she said and turned her gaze to the cloudless blue sky before yawning.

"Have you been sleeping lately?" Unity asked in concern.

She nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Haven't had very many nightmares either so that's good!"

"Yeah, it is." Unity's gaze fixed on the scar and then he looked away, clenching his jaw as he recalled the time when that happened, when his sister had been unfortunate enough to get caught in a fight between terrorists and Britannia and had nearly gotten killed as a result, though Britannia never took responsibility for nearly killing an innocent bystander. Adeline had ended up repressing the entire incident and absolutely refused to talk about it, too scarred emotionally by what had happened, though Unity still didn't know the entire story. However, what he did learn just reinforced his belief in the corruption within Britannia.

That was the first incident that helped Unity decided to create the Liberators; there were many others but that one was the catalyst.

"Sir, sir," a voice called out and Unity glanced up to find Scarlet jogging toward him, her scarlet-colored eyes, from which she got her nickname, filled with uncertainty and a report held in her hands.

"What is it, Scarlet?" Unity asked, pushing himself to his feet while his sister just laid back down, folding her arms behind her head, her eyes still fixed on the sky.

"We've received news from Japan, sir," Scarlet said. "The Crimson Sakuras have been defeated and badly at that. Hozumi Murkami has been captured. Naora was able to escape and she wishes to mount a rescue mission."

Unity pressed his lips together in thought, eyes narrowed. "What happened? How were they defeated? The last thing I heard was that Murkami had succeeded in taking control of the military base and that wasn't even a week ago."

"According to Naora's report, he underestimated the time it would take for Britannia to respond. Not only that but he believed that no one had escaped the military base when the attack took place but someone must have escaped in order to get word to General Andon in the Tokyo Settlement as quickly as they had," Scarlet said.

 _General Andon._ The Commander-in-Chief of the 11th Division in Japan was also a huge threat; though Unity's forces haven't yet engaged him, Andon's reputation preceded him. And if Andon led the counterattack against the Crimson Sakuras, Unity wasn't that surprised that they had been defeated. "So General Andon led the counterattack?" he asked.

"No, sir," Scarlet said with a shake of her head. "Naora informed us that Andon was not the one who led the counterattack. It was Prince Lelouch vi Britannia; he has assumed command of the 11th Regiment of the 11th Division in Japan and was the one who successfully took back the Osaka Military Base as well as the city itself. Naora even said that the prince is a, and I quote, 'damn good strategist'."

Unity hummed. "What else do we know about the prince?" he asked.

"Beyond what little we were able to discover with that one battle, nothing much," Scarlet said.

Unity pressed his lips together in thought. "Finding information on this particular member of the Royal Family makes finding a needle in a needle stack in a field of needles look easy," he murmured. It was true; unlike the other members of the Royal Family, whom Unity's hackers had been able to find much information on—starting with their military victories or their political statuses and going from there—they had been able to find virtually _nothing_ about Prince Lelouch from before he rejoined the Royal Family beyond his mother's assassination, his little sister Nunnally being crippled, and him and Nunnally being in Japan before the invasion.

"Why not capture him then?" his sister suggested and Unity glanced toward the golden-haired girl as she rolled onto her side and peered at them. "I mean then you can just ask him what you want to know while studying him. You've always been good at figuring out a person's character simply by studying their body language, or lack thereof in some cases."

Unity pressed his lips together. "I think you're right," he said. "We've been trying to find information on Prince Lelouch through other means and haven't succeeded. Perhaps this might be the only way we can get the information we need on him."

"And then you'll kill him?" Scarlet asked.

Unity shook his head. "Oh no," he said with a cool smile. "Prince Lelouch's history that is public knowledge is…intriguing. I have something more in mind for him once I figure out more about his character and the past that the public doesn't know about."

Scarlet looked confused. "I thought you wanted to destroy the Royal Family," she said.

"When did defeating and destroying become synonyms for each other?" Unity asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I suppose you're right. So what are your orders?" Scarlet asked.

"Contact Naora. Tell her that if she believes that she can succeed, she may mount a rescue mission for Hozumi Murkami and may use men from Michal's cell to do so. However, there is something else that I want her and whoever she takes with her to prioritize above rescuing Murkami."

"Yes, sir. And what else do you want her to do?"

Unity smiled and told her.

"Yes, sir. Also, we've received word from Reyes about the resistance cell that had formed in the Shinjuku Ghetto."

"And?"

"Britannia found out about them and their meeting. Reyes and the two companions he took with him left and it is unclear whether the resistance cell has any survivors or not," Scarlet explained.

Unity frowned. "Reyes is a fool. He should not have left when he had, especially not after offering them the help of the Liberators like I asked him to. Him leaving when they needed help is going to make them less likely to trust us when we approach them again," he murmured.

"What do you need me to do?" Scarlet asked.

"For now, there is nothing we can do. Until we know whether this cell has been destroyed or if there are still survivors who are willing to continue fighting against Britannia, we can't do anything. So, for now, contact Michal and tell him to keep an eye on the Shinjuku Ghetto."

"Understood, sir."

 **. . .**

 _July 4, 2016_

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

"… _Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I'll be returning to the Tokyo Settlement for a while. General Andon has told me that he wishes to inform me, personally, of my next mission and that he is going to be accompanying me. That means that I have to remain in Osaka until he gets here, which could be as much as two weeks,_ " Lelouch's voice said over the phone that Nunnally held to her ear, though she could also hear claps of thunder and the sound of pouring rain in the background.

"I understand, Big Brother," she said with a small, sad smile. She missed her big brother but she understood that he had work to do and couldn't always spend time with her. It made her miss the days when she and her big brother were just regular Ashford Academy students and the only thing that she had to worry about was Lelouch's gambling. She was happy to be reunited with her half-siblings, like Nellie, Euphie, Clovis, and Schneizel, though, there was no doubt about that.

" _I'll be sure to call when I can,_ " Lelouch added.

"Okay. How are you?" Nunnally asked.

" _I'm fine, Nunnally. We've been focusing on helping the people of Osaka get back on their feet the past couple of…_ "

" _God! I hate the freaking rain!_ " A shout sounded in the background.

" _Once again, you won't melt. You haven't yet anyway. Your Highness, where do you want these?_ " another voice said.

" _Hold on a moment, Nunnally,_ " Lelouch said to Nunnally before adding to that second voice, " _Start handing them out to the locals. Suzaku, take Tadashi with you and take these to the manager of the_ Soaring Phoenix _._ "

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Suzaku's familiar voice sounded in the background and Nunnally smiled at the sound of that familiar voice.

" _I think we're gonna need more hands," the first voice said._

 _"Jeremiah, Major Nu, Lieutenant Colonel Soresi, help Major Frost and Lieutenant Frost,_ " Lelouch ordered.

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Jer's familiar voice sounded followed by two others.

A yelp followed by a splash and hysterical laughter sounded in the background. " _I don't think that's going to help hand these things out much, Rayne,_ " a third unfamiliar voice said.

" _I slipped, you asshole. Yo, moron, help me up and stop laughing!_ " the first voice, Rayne, called out.

" _You should watch your language around His Highness,_ " a fourth unfamiliar voice said.

" _Yeah, yeah, Dimitri. It just came out. Sorry, Your Highness,_ " Rayne said.

" _Don't worry about it,_ " Lelouch said.

"Oh, before he leaves, can you tell Suzaku I say hi?" Nunnally asked.

" _Sure. Suzaku, Nunnally says hi,_ " Lelouch called.

" _Tell her I say hello as well and I hope she's doing all right,_ " Suzaku said.

" _She can hear you,_ " Lelouch said. " _Almost everyone has to shout just to be heard over the thunder and the rain._ "

"Yeah, I can hear it in the background. It hasn't hit Tokyo yet," Nunnally said.

" _I think it's traveling north so it might get there soon,_ " Lelouch said.

" _Oh, are you talking to your cute sister?_ " the third voice said.

Lelouch said nothing but the yelp of fear and the sound of someone bolting suggested that Lelouch wasn't exactly happy with that comment.

" _It was a compliment! A compliment!_ " the third voice cried out in fear.

Nunnally giggled. "Big Brother, are you trying to set that poor boy on fire with your eyes?" she asked.

" _It's not working, unfortunately,_ " Lelouch said.

Nunnally laughed. "Big Brother, you're funny," she said with a shake of her head. She looked up when she heard the sound of the door opening and then turned her head. "Hello, who's there?"

"Oh, it's just me," Shirley's voice said. "How are you doing, Nunna?"

"I'm doing good. Hey, you wanna say hi to Big Brother?" Nunnally asked.

"L…Lulu's on the phone?" Shirley stammered out.

"Yeah. Go ahead and say hi to him. Shirley just walked in, Big Brother. I'm handing the phone to her now," Nunnally said and then held out the phone to Shirley before Lelouch could reply.

Shirley swallowed but took the phone. "H…Hey, Lulu," she said and Nunnally heard her pull out a chair before sitting down. While she talked with Lelouch, Nunnally pulled out another piece of origami paper and began working on another paper crane. She mused that she had finally found her hobby, like how Clovis had painting and Lelouch had chess.

A couple of minutes later, Shirley said, "Here, Nunna. Lulu has to go and wanted to say bye to you."

"Oh, thank you," Nunnally said and took the phone. "You have to go now, Big Brother?"

" _Yes. I have some things to take care of. I'll call you tonight if I get the chance, okay?_ " Lelouch's voice said.

"Okay, bye Big Brother, I love you."

" _I love you too, Little Sister."_ Lelouch hung up and Nunnally put the phone back in its receiver before turning to Shirley.

"So what brings you here, Shirley?" she asked.

"Oh, uh, my swim team meeting ended early so I decided to come here early," Shirley said. Nunnally heard her pick up a piece of origami paper. "Can I use this, Nunna?"

"Go ahead," Nunnally said with a friendly smile.

"Thanks, Nunna."

 **. . .**

 _Konohana Ghetto, Near the Osaka Settlement_

The ghettos around the Osaka Settlement were similar to the ghettos around the Tokyo Settlement in that they were in a state of disrepair with decrepit buildings and cracked sidewalks. The few people who were outside in the rain spotted Suzaku and Tadashi as they made their way into the Konohana Ghetto and eyed them with wariness but said nothing. There were a few distrusting, betrayed glances but not as many as Suzaku was expecting to see.

He knew that being an Honorary Britannian was a status that not many Elevens or Britannians generally liked; some Elevens believed Honorary Britannians to be traitors while most Britannians just didn't like having Numbers in the military, or even with a shred of status, period. However, Suzaku's most recent promotion proved to him that he could rise through the ranks like he was trying so hard to do.

"This ghetto doesn't seem nearly as bad as the Shinjuku Ghetto," Tadashi mused as they trudged through the muddy streets with rain still pouring down on them.

"Yeah," Suzaku said and they kept walking.

When they reached the _Soaring Phoenix_ , they dropped off the supplies to the manager and then started to head back to the settlement.

A cry sounded and Suzaku glanced toward it sharply. "Someone's in trouble," he said and darted off.

"Wait, Suzaku!" Tadashi shouted and darted after him as he weaved his way to where he had heard the cry.

He darted into an alley and emerged to find a small, scared Britannian girl of no more than five years of age with an older Eleven boy glaring down at her. "We don't want you here. Now get outta here," the Eleven shouted.

"B…But I don't know where my mommy is," the little girl said, tears of fear in her eyes and a red mark on her face marking where the older boy had hit her. She scrambled to her feet and cringed in terror when the Eleven approached her.

"Hey, leave her alone," Suzaku snapped, hurrying forward and putting himself between the little girl and the Eleven.

"What the…? An Honorary Britannian, you damn traitor," the Eleven spat, glaring. "It's people like you that give us Japanese a bad name. I don't wanna be seen with the likes of _you_." Without another word, the Eleven turned around and stormed off.

Suzaku relaxed and turned to face the little girl, kneeling down in front of her as she gazed at him with wide eyes. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Suzaku. What's yours?" he asked, his voice gentle and friendly so as to not scare the little girl even more.

"A…Adina," the little girl said.

"It's okay, Adina. You've lost your mommy, right?"

Adina whimpered and nodded.

"Why don't we go speak to a friend of mine and maybe he can find your mommy?" Suzaku suggested.

"R…Really?" Adina asked, gazing at him with large eyes and Suzaku nodded, standing up and holding out a hand to the little girl. "T…Thank you, Mr. Suzaku. Y…You're really nice and helpful, like a knight! Are you a knight, Mr. Suzaku?"

Suzaku chuckled. "Not exactly," he said as the little girl placed her hand in his and he guided him over to join Tadashi who had just caught up with him.

"Man, you really are fast, though not as fast as…who's the girl?" Tadashi asked, peering at the girl who hid behind Suzaku shyly.

"Her name's Adina. She's lost and was being harassed by an Eleven," Suzaku admitted.

"Man, that sucks. Hi Adina, I'm Tadashi," Tadashi greeted the little girl who responded with a shy little "H…hello." "So what're you gonna do with her?"

"I'm taking her into the settlement to see if we can find her parents," Suzaku said.

"Sounds good to me.

 **. . .**

 _Outside City Hall, Osaka Settlement_

"…And we don't know where she is! We've looked everywhere but we can't find her. I'm so worried. What if she was killed? Please, help me find her, Your Highness, please," the hysterical mother of a lost five-year-old girl cried, her eyes filled with tears. She had approached Lelouch with her desperate plea soon after he had finished giving his orders and was about to head back inside.

"Calm down, ma'am, I can have a search team head out to try and find your daughter," Lelouch assured the hysterical mother, blinking rain water out of her eyes. The rain was still coming down hard but Lelouch could still make out the area in front of him. "Do you know where you last saw her?"

"It was near the Konohana Ghetto," the father, who was not nearly as hysterical as the mother but was still worried, said.

Lelouch nodded thoughtfully. "Let me contact a few of my men that I sent into that ghetto. They may have spotted your daughter," he said, handing the hysterical mother the picture that she had given him when she came pleading for him to find her daughter. Lelouch figured she had only asked him because the knightpolice stationed in Osaka were still either critically injured or dead after the Crimson Sakuras had taken over the city. Lelouch mused that he would have to speak to Andon about fixing that later.

He turned on his communicator and connected it to Suzaku's "Warrant Officer, do you copy?" he said.

There was a moment of silence and then a, " _Tadashi, watch where you're walking! I copy, Your Highness. What do you need?_ " sounded.

"We're looking for a missing child, Warrant Officer," Lelouch said and briefly described the child as well as where she had last been seen.

" _Hey, that sounds like Adina,_ " Tadashi's voice sounded in the background.

" _It does. I think we have the kid with us, Your Highness. We found her in the ghetto when we were heading back after dropping off those supplies,_ " Suzaku said.

"Is your daughter's name Adina?" Lelouch asked.

"Yes, that's her name," the mother said.

"Two of my men have found her. Warrant Officer, go ahead and bring her here," Lelouch said.

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Suzaku said and fell silent.

Lelouch keyed off the communicator and turned to the parents standing in front of him. "My men will be right here with your daughter," he said.

About five minutes later, Suzaku and Tadashi, with a little five year old on Tadashi's shoulders, came forward. The little girl was giggling. "Faster, faster," she said happily.

"I blame you," Tadashi muttered to Suzaku who was grinning with amusement before he jogged the rest of the way.

Lelouch raised an amused eyebrow. "Dare I ask why you have a five-year-old on your shoulders, Private?" he said.

"She wanted a piggyback ride," Tadashi said simply as the little girl giggled and then her eyes found her parents and lit up with happiness.

"Mommy! Daddy!" She cried, scrambling off Tadashi's shoulders and running over to her parents, throwing her arms around their legs.

"Oh thank God you're all right. We were so worried," the mother said, kneeling down and wrapping her arms around the little girl.

"Thank you for helping our little girl, sir," the father said, turning to Suzaku and Tadashi.

"It was no problem, sir," Tadashi said.

"And thank you, Your Highness, for being willing to help find her," the mother said, lifting her gaze to Lelouch.

Lelouch inclined his head. "You're welcome," he said calmly and watched as the small family walked away. He turned his attention to Suzaku and Tadashi. "How did you find her anyway?"

"Suzaku heard someone cry out and ran off to help," Tadashi said. "Regular knight in shining armor is he."

Lelouch's lips quirked and Suzaku smiled sheepishly.

 **. . .**

 _July 5, 2016_

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Building_

One week had gone by since she lost her brother and Kallen had finally managed to convince herself to go back to school. She had gotten out of going to school by pretending to be sick, not that she really had to fake anything; her stepmother likely didn't care as long as she did nothing that would reflect badly on her and the school already knew about her 'medical condition'.

She had tried to stay strong, like her brother would have wanted her to. She had managed to hold herself together the entire trek away from the Kozuki Resistance's first base and, again, when she said goodbye to her friends and returned to the settlement. However, as soon as she had gotten to her room, she had burst out crying again and ended up crying herself to sleep.

She wouldn't leave her room for the next few days, missing the rest of last week and then Monday of school, and only her maid of a mother would check up on her. She had told her mother about Naoto's death on the second day of her self-imposed isolation and then kicked her mother out of her room. Her resentment for her mother was much worse now that she had lost her brother.

Feeling tears well up in her eyes again, Kallen hastily wiped them away as she walked into the meeting room. She was only there that day because Ohgi had called her and told her that she should try to get back to school; he also told her that they would be holding a small memorial for Naoto on the edge of the ghetto out of the way of everyone that night. She was grateful for the gesture and told him that she would be there that night.

In the meeting room, she noticed that the only one there was Nunnally. "Oh, hello Nunnally. Where's everyone else?" she said, closing the door behind her.

Nunnally turned to face her and smiled. "They're probably running late again. Are you okay, Kallen? You sound sad," she said.

Kallen swallowed and looked down. "I…lost someone close to me…recently," she said softly.

"Oh. I'm so sorry," Nunnally said sadly. "It hurts to lose someone close to you."

 _How would you know?_ Kallen thought bitterly. "Yeah," she murmured, taking a seat and glancing toward the table in front of Nunnally, on which was an opened book written in Braille.

"I lost my mother only a week after I turned seven," Nunnally added sadly. "I…don't like thinking about that but..."

"I'm sorry," Kallen said and meant it. Everyone had heard about the assassination of Empress Marianne vi Britannia six years ago. However, it had taken the loss of her own brother and Nunnally telling her about what happened to her mother for her to realize that she wasn't the only one who lost someone she loved.

"It's okay. At least I still have my big brother," Nunnally said, a smile crossing her lips. "He's been taking care of me ever since we came to Area 11."

"He has?"

"Yeah."

Even though her big brother was gone, Kallen decided that she would continue on with the orders Naoto had given her and find out more about Prince Lelouch. It might help the resistance, even if they were scattered at the moment, when they decided to regroup and try again. Because Naoto's dream was not something that Kallen or Ohgi or any member of the Kozuki Resistance were going to give up on.

"Why did you come to Area 11?" Kallen asked. Lelouch had told her, during that party that Clovis had thrown for him after he returned from basic training, that they had been sent to Area 11 as political hostages with the Kururugi family. However, Kallen wondered if Nunnally knew that or not.

"I'm not entirely sure. Big Brother mentioned that it was because we were in danger from the people who killed our mother," Nunnally said. "And that's why he didn't want Brother Clovis to find out that we were here 'cause it might mean that the assassins might come after us next."

 _That wasn't what Lelouch told me. Hmm, I wonder why Lelouch didn't tell Nunnally what he told me,_ she thought. _But then, I hadn't asked him why he hadn't returned to Pendragon after the invasion so that could be the reason why._

She just didn't know. However, before she could ask any more questions, the door opened and Milly, Rivalz, Shirley, and Nina made their way into the meeting room. Kallen decided that, if she got the chance, she would talk to Nunnally about her brother later.

 **. . .**

 _Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11_

… _She seems to be getting more unstable with each passing day that she is unable to find Princess Nunnally…_

B.B., who was watching Tara pace the room and scowling in frustration, glanced off to the side so that Tara wouldn't see his lips move. "She's just incredibly frustrated," he said.

… _But you don't want Princess Nunnally dead. The only reason you had Tara attack Clovis was to draw the Emperor's attention, get him to realize that there is someone out there who had a vendetta against the Royal Family…_

"It didn't exactly work out as I had planned."

… _Though it did reveal two more members of the Royal Family that you can go after to get the Emperor's attention…_

"The more I think about it, the more I realize I need someone that the Emperor would actually feel _something_ for, someone who is useful to him that he would actually pay attention to if they're taken out. Someone like Cornelia or Schneizel," B.B. murmured.

… _I could've told you that…_

B.B. glared at the wall irritably. "Then why didn't you?" he asked.

… _I forgot…_

B.B. resisted the urge to smack his head against the wall. "You'd forget your own head if it wasn't attached," he murmured.

… _I don't deny it…_

"There must be some way to track Princess Nunnally down," Tara said with a scowl. "But how?!"

"I think you should find something else to focus on since I doubt you'll be able to find the princess. She's not sixteen yet and hasn't been revealed to the public. You'll have a better chance of finding a monkey in a museum."

"Why the hell would a monkey be in a museum?" Tara said bewildered.

… _Yes, why would a monkey be in a museum?..._

"Shut up," B.B. muttered to Daniel's voice while ignoring Tara's question.

"Well, whatever. I'm gonna find her," Tara said firmly.

"You haven't been doing a good job of that yet," B.B. said dryly.

Tara glared at him but he raised an eyebrow at her as if daring her to object; they both knew it was true. Huffing, Tara folded her arms across her chest and stalked out of the building.

… _She has a temper, doesn't she?_...

"Perhaps."

 **. . .**

 _July 10, 2016_

 _City Hall, Osaka Settlement_

More than a week had gone by since Lelouch had received orders from Andon to remain in the Osaka Settlement and he had run out of things to do. He had already gone through all the reports of the two battles, helped the citizens of Osaka get back on their feet—as a result, they were starting to resume their every day duties, clearly feeling safe with the 11th Regiment stationed in the city itself—ensured that the causalities were taken care of, received word that a governor and a squad of knightpolice would be sent from Tokyo soon, and had set up his base within City Hall.

"So we're going to be here for, at most, four more days," Jeremiah mused.

"It would appear that way. I'm hoping General Andon will get here sooner," Lelouch said.

Jeremiah nodded. "It must be a big problem if it's taking General Andon this long to solve it," he said. "It's a well-deserved rest, however. You did well on your first mission, Your Highness, though what do you plan on doing with the Crimson Sakuras?"

"For now, they're to remain in detainment at the military base. I am going to ask Major Hendon and the remnants of the 7th Regiment to escort them back to the Tokyo Settlement to stand trial since I doubt I will have the time to do so myself. I get the feeling that the mission that Andon has for me is a big one; why else would he wish to personally accompany me?"

"Good point," Jeremiah said.

"Were you able to get any information out of Murkami?" Jeremiah attempted to get information out of the leader of the Crimson Sakuras when he was captured and again after the battle in Osaka concluded.

"Nothing, Your Highness. He's incredibly stubborn and refuses to say anything. He neither confirmed nor denied the information Major Duncan found about him getting supplied by the Liberators as well," Jeremiah said.

"I very much doubt he's going to reveal much," Lelouch admitted. "These kinds of people are incredibly stubborn."

"I agree," Jeremiah said.

 **. . .**

 _Tokyo Settlement, Area 11_

Grumbling to herself, Tara made her way down the streets of the Tokyo Settlement, her arms folded across her chest. She still wasn't having any luck finding Princess Nunnally and it was really irking her that no one knew anything about the princess. When finding her on her own hadn't worked, she had started asking people but they didn't know where she was either. It was irritating that no one knew just where the princess had disappeared to.

Sighing, Tara lifted her gaze to the sky above, her thoughts drifting to B.B. and him telling her that she should focus on something else because she wasn't getting anywhere with attempting to find Princess Nunnally. But she couldn't give up; she may not be able to get to Prince Lelouch but Princess Nunnally was defenseless and the perfect target to take out.

"…you think we got everything?" a voice said, jolting Tara out of her thoughts. She turned to find an orange-haired girl walking down the street with a shorter dark-green haired girl with glasses walking alongside her; both of them were carrying bags filled with supplies. She moved out of the way to allow the two to walk by her.

"Um, I think so," the shorter girl said quietly. She shifted her grip on the bags and pulled out a list, scanning it. "Yeah, I think we got everything."

"Great. Now we don't have to go back for more," the blue-haired boy that was walking behind the two girls said, carrying twice as many bags as the girls. He walked by her, not noticing the aqua-haired girl was there as he added, "You think Nunnally was able to talk Sayoko into doing an origami booth at the next festival?"

 _Nunnally?_ That wasn't a common name, even by Britannian standards. Tara quietly started tailing the group as they walked out of earshot, determined to find out if these people knew where the hidden princess was or not.

"Probably," the orange-haired girl said with a smile. "She really has gotten into origami. I think she has over four hundred of those cranes made by now."

"Yeah, probably," the blue-haired boy agreed, shifting his grip again. "Man, I wish Lelouch was still here. It'd make carrying these supplies so much easier if we had another set of hands."

"Nunna told me that he was still in Osaka when she last spoke to him," the orange-haired girl said. "And it sounds like he's gonna be there for a while. Nunna misses him."

"Well, when ya think about it, those two were rarely this far apart from each other before their royal heritage was revealed," the blue-haired boy admitted.

Tara's eyes gleamed. _Jackpot!_

"That's true," the orange-haired girl said. "Well, hopefully this dance Milly's planning will cheer her up…Hey, do you get the feeling that we're being followed?"

Tara immediately ducked into the nearest alley, crouching down and peering around the corner to see the orange-haired girl and the dark-green haired girl pause and look around.

"I don't see anyone," the dark-green-haired girl said quietly.

"Mm, guess I'm just imagining things," the orangette said and they continued to walk and Tara heard the orange-haired girl ask the dark-green-haired girl about how she was coming along with her research.

Tara walked after them, keeping her distance and pretending to be looking at the windows of the various shops that she was walking by, her eyes occasionally straying to the trio. When she saw that the trio were heading straight for Ashford Academy, she smirked to herself.

 _Ashford Academy, so that's where you've been this entire time, Princess Nunnally,_ she thought with a coolly satisfied grin. Now she just had to figure out a way into the academy and, perhaps, that dance that the orange-haired girl had mentioned could provide her with an opening. She would have to figure out a way to get invited to that dance though; shame she didn't have a Geass that could allow her to order people to do what she wanted.

 **. . .**

 _Konohana Ghetto, Near the Osaka Settlement_

Naora gazed at the settlement through a pair of binoculars, though the shadows created by the setting sun made it hard to see anything, before she put them down and turned to the group that were seated beside her. "Are you sure that the prince is in the City Hall and not in the military base?" she asked.

"We're sure," one of her companions said. Like everyone in the Liberators, her companions had nicknames that they went by to prevent anyone from finding information on them. Naora's was Cherry and the companion that had just spoken to her was Sand. The other members of her eleven-men infiltration team were Storm, Lightning, Rock, Petal, Blade, and the Elemental Squad, so named because their nicknames were the four elements—Fire, Water, Earth, Air—with the leaders named Radiance and Midnight. They were members of the remaining Liberator cell in Japan since Naora had only been able to escape Osaka by herself.

Why they chose nicknames instead of Light and Dark, Naora didn't know, nor did she really care. All it did was make it difficult for people to remember their nicknames.

Speaking of Radiance, she spotted her jogging toward her as she left the stairs she had used to get to the roof on which Naora and Sand were situated. "Cherry," Radiance greeted her as she lied on her belly next to Naora. "Midnight got into City Hall. He's going to be sending you a schematic of the City Hall to help find the best way in and out."

"Good work. Any news on Hozumi's location?" Naora asked.

"Nothing," Radiance said, shaking her head. "But that isn't our priority."

"I know," Naora murmured. Scarlet had told her that Unity wanted her to prioritize the capture of Prince Lelouch above the rescue of Hozumi and, while she didn't want to leave her lover in the hands of Britannia for much longer, she would follow orders. "Do we know where the prince is?"

"Midnight believes he stays within City Hall along with most of his forces who aren't back at the military base. Do you suppose we should use the gas before we go after the prince?"

"It would make things easier in the long run," Sand mused.

"And if we do it quickly and quietly enough, we won't alert his men who are stationed outside of City Hall," Naora agreed. "Also, we've got a sample of Evergreen and its antidote should we need it. Dr. Aimee ran the final tests on it and says that it will be non-lethal towards humans. It'll keep the prince from being able to fight back or bolt if the gas wears off too soon."

"That'll definitely help," Sand said.

"Where's the rest of your squad, Radiance?" Naora asked.

"They'll be ready to move soon enough. I don't think all of us should go in at the same time. It's too large a group," Radiance said.

"All right. Once we have the prince, we'll signal to you." Naora trusted the Elemental Squad to sneak in without getting caught; Radiance chose her men and women fairly well and Naora knew that they were among the stealthiest of the Liberators. She smirked to herself; she was confident that this plan would work.

And once she had Prince Lelouch in her grasp, she would find out where her lover was being held and rescue him as well.

Her plan was foolproof.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: welp, that was chapter 18. We've got two more chapters in Osaka for Lelouch before we move on to our next setting and the sight of the next major event in this arc**

 **Bakura: whatever**

 **Blaze: …why do I keep you around?**

 **Ryou: because you like keeping me around and we're, unfortunately, a packaged deal**

 **Blaze: oh yeah. By the way, where are Lenalee and Allen?**

 **Kanda: the beansprout and Lenalee are probably lost**

 **Allen: (storms into computer room with Crown Clown activated) I was not lost. I was taking care of an asshole that was annoying me**

 **Blaze: which one? Tyki or Cross?**

 **Allen: Cross**

 **Blaze: oh good. Tyki's my second favorite Noah—well, he's tied as my second favorite with Road—so don't harm him. By the way, what did you do to Cross?**

 **Allen: (smirks evilly)**

 **Cross: IDIOT APPRENTICE! GET ME DOWN FROM HERE THIS INSTANT!**

 **Blaze: …I don't want to know**

 **Allen: so who's your favorite Noah if Tyki and Road are tied as your second favorites?**

 **Blaze: Neah. I don't own D Gray man by the way. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, even if it was short, and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	19. Infiltration

**Yay! Longer chapter! (18 pages single-spaced and over 10,000 words.) And I got it up before the end of February. That's the good news anyway.**

 **Bakura: and the bad news?**

 **Why must you assume there's bad news?**

 **Lelouch: when someone says something along the lines of what you just said then bad news almost always follows.**

 **...Okay, you got me there. The bad news is the next update** **isn't until near the middle of March.**

 **Suzaku: wait, and this chapter's the one with the…**

 **Yup. Now if you will excuse me, I have a bomb shelter to go hide in before the Suzaku fans come (darts into bomb shelter and quickly slams door shut and locks it)**

 **Suzaku: …I suppose I will handle thanking the reviewers. (Pulls out piece of paper) Blaze would like to thank** _ **harlequin320, chimera629, F.C.C.S, Guest, nicfoto5, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Shadow-Shinobi666, B-Kira, Scarease, ZeroUnleashed, OBSERVER01, Doommajor, DynoJackal19, god of all,**_ **and** _ **Shimmering-Sky**_ **for reviewing the last chapter.**

 **Guest:** It will not be Lelouch who deals Tara the punishment that she deserves (at least, not entirely) and Nunnally will not die. I will not say anything more but Nunnally will not die. Thank you for your review

 **Lelouch: so here is chapter 19. As usual, reviews are much appreciated.**

 **Update (February 28, 2017): Due to a mistake that makes Suzaku out of character, I have changed a little bit of the ending to bring Suzaku back in character. This is what happens when I write a chapter at three in the morning, and then edit said chapter at three in the morning.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _October 22, 2013_

 _Dr. Aimee's Office, Island of Olkhon, Europia United_

 _Unity made his way down the pristine white corridor toward the office of Dr. Aimee and walked into it. Aimee was scribbling on a piece of paper, occasionally pausing to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose or glancing at the computer screen. "Dr. Aimee," he greeted her._

 _"Unity," Aimee replied without glancing up from the paper she was scribbling on. "You came at a bad time. I think I may have gotten a breakthrough."_

 _"On what exactly?"_

 _"Project Evergreen."_

 _Unity raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You think that you've figured out how to counter the lethal side-effects?" he asked._

 _Aimee finally looked up from her paper. "Well, no, not yet," she said, "but I believe I have figured out the chemical composition needed to ensure that the drug does what we want it to do rather than doing nothing but killing the person it's used on."_

 _"It would be pointless if the drug still kills the person it's used on. We need the one's we use it on to be complacent and unable to fight back, not dead," Unity said._

 _"I know that, Unity, but something about the formula is throwing all my calculations off," Aimee said with a frown as she glared at the paper. "I'm missing something but I haven't figured out what it is I'm missing. I'll figure it out but it's going to take some time. Now was there something you needed?"_

 _"Simply an update on the Lupus," Unity said since Alexei had sent the schematics to Aimee._

 _Aimee nodded and pushed aside the paper she was scribbling on before turning to her computer, running her fingers across the keyboard and pulling up a schematic on the screen. "Alexei sent this to me about an hour ago. He believes he may have worked out the bugs that are affecting the mass-production of the Lupus."_

 _"Send it to my computer directly and I'll look at it there," Unity said._

 _"Will do," Aimee said and did just that before she returned to her paper, scowling at it._

 _"Perhaps I should find someone to help you figure this out," Unity suggested, knowing how Aimee got when she was frustrated. The last thing he wanted to do was pay for a replacement computer because Aimee got so frustrated that she threw hers through a window again; those things weren't cheap to replace._

 _"Maybe a new set of eyes would help," Aimee said._

 _"I'll see what I can do," Unity said and turned before walking out of the office._

 **. . .**

 **19**

 **Infiltration**

 _July 10, 2016_

 _Hidden Laboratory, Island of Olkhon, Europia United_

Dr. Aimee studied the test subject intently, jotting down notes on her tablet as she walked around the dazed individual that was seated cross-legged on the medical bed in front of her, his eyes dilated and his arms resting limply on his legs. "Subject able to remain upright for half an hour after injection and no sign of fatigue or pain but subject is content and quiet," she murmured, writing that information down.

The subject shivered as if cold and lied down, resting his head on the pillow, his eyes taking on a sleepy look before they drifted closed and he slipped into unconsciousness.

"Subject remained conscious for thirty two minutes and five seconds," Aimee murmured, writing that down as well. "Still no sign of pain."

She put her tablet down and moved over to the subject, picking up his wrist and feeling for a pulse, counting the number of heartbeats. "Heart rate: 80 beats per minute, average resting heart rate."

She went back to running a few tests on the subject before concluding, "No physical signs of a comatose state of mind," and wrote that down on her tablet as well.

"How's the testing going?" Unity asked as he stepped into the lab.

Aimee turned to him. "Everything is looking as though it's working. There is no sign, as of right now, of any crucial side effects other than unconsciousness," she said.

"And the antidote?" Unity asked.

"Leads to a loss of consciousness soon after it is administered if it is administered before the subject lost consciousness due to the drug itself. I theorize that the antidote speeds along the side effect of lost consciousness while it is cleansing the drug from the subject's system. Therefore when the subject enters a state of unconsciousness due to the drug itself, it means the subject's immune system is attempting to expunge the drug from the body."

"Anything else?" Unity asked.

"At the moment no. I will let you know if I discover anything else. Is Cherry going to be using Evergreen during her mission to capture the prince?"

"Yes," Unity said. "You did say that it could be used on humans without causing them to die."

"I know and nothing has happened to disprove my conclusion. However, I suggest informing her of what I found out about what the antidote does as well as how long it will take for the human injected with the drug to fall unconscious," Aimee said, moving over to her computer and connecting her tablet to it. She quickly uploaded the information she'd just discovered into the computer before sending it to Unity's computer. "I've sent a copy of my results to your computer so that you may send it to her yourself."

Unity nodded.

"Also, I've been in contact with Alexei. He says that he's coming here and wants to show you the new frame that he just finished building," Aimee said.

"What time did he say he would arrive?"

"Noon tomorrow."

Unity frowned but nodded. "I will keep that in mind. Thank you, Aimee," he said and left the laboratory.

 **. . .**

 _Medical Transport, Osaka Settlement_

Lila walked over to the injured soldier and knelt down beside the cot on which he was seated. She gently began to unwrap the bandages around the wound on the soldier's shoulder and noted that it didn't seem to be bleeding anymore and the stitches hadn't come out.

"The stitches haven't come out so that's good," she said and stood up before walking across the floor to the sink and wetting a paper towel. She walked back and gently dabbed the wound, causing the soldier to wince, before putting the paper towel down and began wrapping the wound in a clean set of bandages.

"Thank you," the soldier said and stood up before leaving the transport.

"You're good at this," Tadashi noted as Lila stood up and stretched, covering her hand over her mouth as she yawned. It was already dark outside, only about half an hour before midnight, but there were still more patients to review before she could go to sleep.

"Yes, you are. Have you considered going into the medical field after you've served your term in the military?" the head medic, a tall, brown-haired woman named Laura, asked as she walked over to join Lila.

"I've thought about it but I would much rather remain in the military. Perhaps I would go and then return to the military as an actual military physician but that won't be for a few years," Lila said. She smiled a little and added, "Even if I did go into the medical field, Mother probably wouldn't be happy if I told her that I would still be part of the military." She sighed; her mother still didn't like that she was in the military. When Lila had last spoken to her mother on the phone, a few days ago, her mother had told her that much and actually begged her to leave and come home. Lila had refused, insisting that she was committed and would not abandon her duties.

"Well, either way, thank you for helping out," Laura said with a smile.

"Thank you for letting me help out," Lila said.

"We can use all the help we can get. We have a score of wounded that we still need to watch to ensure they don't reopen their injuries," Laura admitted. "I've petitioned Prince Lelouch to ask for more medical personnel though and he said that he would request additional medical support from General Andon but I know it's going to take a while for it to get done."

"Hopefully before the next battle," Laura's assistant, a mousy girl only a few years older than Lila with long auburn hair named Hanna, said as she moved to Laura's side. "Though we do appreciate your help, Lila."

"I am happy to help," Lila said.

Two more soldiers walked into the transport and Tadashi stepped aside to get out of their way as Hanna guided one to a cot and Lila guided the other one to the cot that was just vacated. Both of them set to work checking on the injury, making sure that they hadn't been reopened, and then replacing the bandages with fresh ones before sending them on their way.

Lila yawned again as more soldiers came in. Laura insisted that all the soldiers who were injured check in at least once a week to ensure that their injuries were healing or hadn't reopened; the more critically injured were in the hospitals of Osaka under the care of the doctors there. But that meant a lot were coming in, though Lila had lost count of how many had come since that morning.

"Here, let me help," Tadashi offered, coming to Lila's side when she unwound the bandages of one of the soldier's injuries.

"Do you not have your own duties to take care of?" Lila asked with a frown at Tadashi.

"Technically speaking, this ain't part of your duties either," Tadashi said with a shrug and a grin before he added, "Besides, my patrol ain't for another hour."

Lila pursed her lips but nodded and handed the bloody bandages to Tadashi, ordering him to dispose of them and come back with a wet paper towel when he was done. He did so and Lila gently dabbed the wet paper towel against the soldier's injury.

"I still don't see why Prince Lelouch let two Honorary Britannians join this regiment," the soldier Lila was working on murmured.

His companion, whom Hanna was helping, nodded in agreement. "Or the women. At least these women know their place," he said.

Lila grounded her teeth together and may have dabbed the soldier she was working on a bit too hard, causing him to hiss in pain. "I'm sorry," Lila said, not really meaning it as she went back to wrapping the wound.

Tadashi seemed like he wanted to say something but bit his tongue.

Lila finished with the soldier and Hanna finished with his companion before Laura reminded them to check in with the medics in a week and they left. _I thought I wouldn't have to deal with any more sexism after I graduated basic training,_ she thought she handed the rolls of bandages she hadn't used to Tadashi with orders to put them back in the cabinet.

 **. . .**

 _Outside, Osaka Settlement_

… _I am working for the Research and Technology Development Department and it isn't that easy but I enjoy it, much more than I would on the frontlines. I suspect you would rather be on the frontlines but, considering how smart you are, and a fast learner and damn good pilot, I suspect that you would do well on the frontlines._

 _I hope that you write back. I know that you haven't to the last few letters I've sent but I do hope that you respond to this one. I do care about you, Kayden, and I understand that Mom and Dad should never have treated you as they have. It was wrong of them and it was wrong of me, Gretchen, and Parker to do nothing on our part. I see what a huge mistake I made by following our parents example and I'm sorry._

 _Please write back. Perhaps we can meet up so that we can discuss this more in person. At the very least, will you please write back to let me know that you and Rayne are all right?_

 _Love,_

 _Matthias_

Kay put the letter from his oldest brother on the ground, staring at it for a long moment. He had received the letter during basic training but hadn't bothered on opening it until recently; he didn't know why he decided to open it now though but, then, he still didn't know why he kept the letter to begin with.

It was hard reading the letter from Matthias and not knowing if he was being sincere or not since it was practically impossible to figure that out in a letter. While the letter felt sincere, Kay just couldn't bring himself to believe that it was. Perhaps it was because he had come to believe that no one but his sister cared about him and had held on to that belief since the day his parents had called him 'worthless'.

Matthias seemed concerned about him though. That last request was for Kay to write back simply to let him know that he and Rayne were all right and Kay wondered if he should do that. He was sure Matthias already knew though, since he had no doubt that Gretchen or Parker had already contacted him with the news, so maybe he didn't have to do it.

"Hey, Kay, what's up?" Rayne said, sitting down beside Kay on the stone steps leading to City Hall.

He picked it and folded it up and tucked it back into the pocket of his uniform. "Nothing. Do we have orders?" he asked.

"Not for right now. Margrave Gottwald wants us to join him and Major Nu on watch duty at midnight," Rayne said. That was about two hours away. "So what was that letter you were reading about?"

"Nothing important." Kay knew that Rayne's resentment towards their family was a lot stronger than his and she wouldn't react too favorably to him considering writing back to Matthias.

"Do you got yourself a girlfriend and didn't tell me?" His twin said.

Kay sputtered, going red. "W…Where did _that_ come from?" he exclaimed.

Rayne giggled. "You should see your face," she said. "But, seriously, why else would ya be so secretive?"

"I'm not being secretive. It wasn't an important letter," Kay insisted.

"Well, if it's not important, let me see it," Rayne said.

"No…"

"Why not?"

Kay couldn't give her a good reason.

"Well, if you can't give me a good reason," Rayne tackled him suddenly and began digging through his pockets for the letter.

"Rayne! Get off me!" Kay exclaimed, pushing at his taller, but younger, twin but Rayne was heavier than him—not that he would _ever_ say that out loud. He shuddered at the thought of what his twin would do to him if he ever did—and was able to keep him pinned. With a cry of triumph, she pulled out the letter.

"Got it," she said happily.

Kay cringed, knowing she wasn't going to be happy once she realized who it was from.

Sure enough, after quickly scanning the letter, Rayne's happy expression changed to one of shock and anger and she scowled. "Him! Why the hell would he write to you? He never gave a damn before!" she exclaimed.

"He's just concerned…" Kay began.

"Bull fucking shit! He never cared about us when we were growing up, why the hell would he suddenly start caring now?!" Rayne shouted, throwing the letter down and glaring at it as if trying to set it on fire with her eyes. She turned to him and added, "Are you going to write back?"

Kay, sitting up, reached for the letter and folded it back up. "…I was considering it," he admitted finally. "But I'm sure he already knows that we're all right 'cause of Gretchen and Parker.

"Why would you even consider writing back to that bastard?! It's not like he ever did anything for us! He cared about us as much as Mom and Dad did!" Rayne exclaimed.

"C…Calm down, Rayne," Kay said, noticing that they were gaining the attention of the soldiers that were within earshot.

"Is everything okay over here?" Gretchen asked, walking over to join them as she was among the soldiers who could hear Rayne's shouting.

"Like you give a damn, you bitch!" Rayne shouted, whirling around to glare at her elder sister.

Gretchen cringed and then her eyes hardened. "That is not the way to talk to your commanding officer," she said firmly, though Kay could hear the hurt in her voice.

"You ain't my commanding officer! That's Lelouch and he ain't here."

"I am of higher rank than…"

"I don't give a damn who the hell you are, bitch."

"Rayne! Please, calm down!" Kay exclaimed hurriedly, scrambling to his feet and attempting to calm his twin down before she continued to give those of higher rank more and more reasons to have her demoted or worse.

Rayne wasn't listening to him though and continued to shout at Gretchen. It was clear that all her resentment toward their older siblings and their parents was spilling out of her the instant she realized Matthias was writing to Kay.

"…you pretend that you care but you don't give a damn about us! Not you, not Parker, not Matthias, and certainly not our parents! They never have and they never will. We're just worthless in their eyes, worthless mistakes and I know that you, Parker, and Matthias feel the same way! Don't you dare try to deny it! I know that's how you feel because you never cared before and…"

" _What_ is going on here?" Lelouch's cool voice cut through Rayne's ranting and Kay quickly whirled around and stood at attention, fist crossed over his heart when Lelouch walked over to join them with Jeremiah just behind him. Gretchen quickly stood at attention as well and Rayne, once she realized just _who_ had interrupted her, followed suit.

Lelouch didn't look happy. In fact, his amethyst eyes were burning with cool fury but his voice was carefully controlled as he said, "I had come to check on how my troops were doing only to come across yet another family squabble. Now, I repeat, what is going on here?"

Rayne gritted her teeth together while Gretchen looked away.

Kay finally took it upon himself to explain. "I apologize, Your Highness," he said softly. "Rayne just gets very outspoken and angry due to personal reasons when it comes to our family. She…found out something that she didn't like and just lost her temper and lashed out."

"Thank you, Major Frost," Lelouch said and turned his gaze to Rayne and Gretchen. "The military is not the place for family squabbles such as this. This is not the sort of behavior I would expect of my troops. If you two cannot learn to, at the very least, _tolerate_ each other then you two run the risk of jeopardizing any missions that we are given. I have already _told_ you this."

"I apologize, Your Highness," Gretchen said with a slight bow, "though I did not start this quarrel."

"Oh, of course you'd put the blame on someone else, you…" Rayne began.

"Lieutenant Frost, I sincerely suggest you do not finish that statement," Lelouch interrupted.

Rayne cringed and bowed. "I apologize, Your Highness," she said, sounding chastised. "I wasn't thinking. I won't let it happen again."

Lelouch continued to gaze at her for a long moment. "See that you don't, Lieutenant," he said. "You won't get another chance from me."

Rayne cringed again, lowering her eyes. Even though they were friends, it was clear that Lelouch was taking his role as their commander seriously; he wasn't going to do anything to show favoritism, even if it meant demoting one of his friends or having them transferred. If the situation between Rayne and Gretchen turned violent, which, considering Rayne's temper, could very well happen, then Lelouch would be well within his right to have them court martialed.

"I understand, Your Highness," Rayne murmured.

Lelouch inclined his head and walked past Gretchen and Rayne, clearly to inspect his troops as was his original intention.

Kay glanced at Rayne and shook his head in disappointment. "I've always told you that you need to learn how to control that temper, Rayne," he said softly.

Rayne glared but said nothing.

 **. . .**

 _July 11, 2016_

 _Outside an Abandoned Hotel, Osaka Settlement_

It was after midnight but Dimitri wasn't asleep, like almost everyone else was. Ever since he found the breach in the security system that allowed the Crimson Sakuras to storm City Hall without anyone noticing, he had taken it upon himself to keep an eye on it to ensure it didn't happen again. Of course, he did have the help of the security team stationed in City Hall. He wasn't doing it alone.

He was the only one that was working on it outside of the security room though and that was only because he wanted to test it, to see if he could get past the security system from a different computer and not in the same vicinity as the security room. That was why he was on the steps of an abandoned hotel in the settlement; everyone else was either on watch duty at the other end of the settlement or asleep. It was raining but the stone steps and the canopy above his head prevented him from getting wet.

He thought that if he could get into the system using a remote computer then that was likely how the Crimson Sakuras got past the security system; they possibly had a talented hacker on their side.

It was about ten minutes after midnight when the entire security system suddenly shut down. Dimitri frowned and picked up his phone, dialing the head of the security team's number. "What happened?" he asked as soon as they answered.

" _We're not entirely sure. We thought that was you,_ " the head, Myron, said.

"It wasn't me. Someone must have hacked into the system remotely," Dimitri said.

" _That's what we think too. We're trying to get the system…wait, who are…?_ " A gunshot sounded over the phone and then nothing.

Dimitri frowned. _That's not good,_ he thought and returned his attention to the laptop. The security system was still off, he noticed, but he began running his fingers across the keyboard in an attempt to get the system back on. Unfortunately, he found himself kicked out of the system before he could do anything.

He gritted his teeth and quickly hacked into the surveillance system, bypassing firewalls and eventually getting eyes on the security room itself. He noticed that everyone seemed to be knocked out, laying slumped over their computers while Myron was on the floor right beneath one of the video cameras, blood pooling around him. The only person who was up was a tall, black-haired man who had taken a seat at a computer one of the video cameras was focusing on.

A moment later, the screens erupted into static and then went black.

Dimitri's jaw clenched. Something wasn't right but what?

He pulled out his phone, intending on contacting Prince Lelouch and warning him that the security system was down, when he heard someone behind him. However, before he could turn around, he felt a searing pain in the back of his head and that was it.

 **. . .**

 _Governor's Office, City Hall, Osaka Settlement_

Yawning, Lelouch rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and glanced at the time, noting that it was only fifteen minutes past midnight. "Should probably put this away and get some sleep," Lelouch mused, glancing at the paper that he had been reading and yawned again. "I doubt I'm going to remember anything else I read in the morning."

He tucked the paper back into its folder and slipped the folder into a drawer in the desk where he kept the important papers for the time being. When General Andon showed up and he was given his next mission, he would transfer everything to the G-1. Yawning again, Lelouch stood up and stretched.

However, that was when he noticed the faint odor that was in the air. He blinked at the sweet-smelling odor and his eyes widened because he recognized it, mostly from basic training: chloroform.

He suddenly felt sleepy but pushed aside the feeling. His legs trembled and he gripped the edge of his desk when he noticed that, while it smelled like chloroform, he didn't remember that particular gas affecting his ability to walk. _What is it?_ He decided that it didn't matter what it was; it was obviously affecting him badly and he couldn't seem to move his limbs accordingly.

His eyelids grew heavy but Lelouch forced himself to pull out his phone. He needed to call for help and, preferably, before he passed out. He dialed the first number that he could think of as he struggled to remain on his feet.

The call was picked up on the first ring.

" _Lelouch, is everything okay?_ " Suzaku's voice asked.

"S…Suzaku…" Lelouch stammered out, feeling incredibly tired and unable to remain upright anymore. "H…Help."

" _Lelouch, what's going on? What happened?_ " Suzaku demanded quickly.

"D…Don't know…Gas of…sorts. Can't…move…very…well. Feeling…really…tired…too," Lelouch mumbled, slumping to the ground and then proceeded to pass out before he could hear Suzaku's response.

 **. . .**

 _A.S.E.E.C.'s Base, Osaka Settlement_

Suzaku knew something was wrong the instant he received a call about fifteen minutes after midnight from a tired sounding Lelouch who was actually _asking for help_. He knew Lelouch; he knew that the prince rarely, if ever, asked for help due to his own pride. He never did during the invasion, to the point that Suzaku had to offer his help whenever he became too tired to carry Nunnally, and he just didn't seem like the person to suddenly ask for it.

And the way he sounded. It was obvious that he wasn't very coherent when he called Suzaku; as it was, Suzaku was only just barely able to make out what Lelouch told him before he fell silent. He couldn't hear the prince anymore but knew that something was wrong; he had heard him fall to the ground soon after he said that he was feeling really tired.

 _Just what is going on?_ He thought concerned.

Suddenly, new voices sounded on the other end.

" _Is he unconscious?_ " A female voice said.

" _Yes, ma'am, he is,_ " a male voice said.

" _Good, Sand. Take him and let's get out of here,_ " the female voice said.

Suzaku's eyes went wide.

" _Look, there's a phone here. He must have tried to call for help,_ " another voice said.

Suzaku quickly hung up, not wanting them to know just who Lelouch had called, and scrambled out of bed. Lelouch was in trouble and everyone was either asleep or on watch duty; Suzaku knew that he didn't have time to get back-up. These infiltrators were kidnapping Lelouch right now and Suzaku was the only one who knew it.

His jaw clenched. He wasn't about to let these infiltrators capture Lelouch without doing something about it. Lelouch was his best friend and, even though they had been separated for six years, Suzaku still cared for him. After everything they had endured and survived during the invasion, they had grown close and Suzaku knew that he would always protect Lelouch. He did so during the invasion and he would do so now.

Changing swiftly, though that was little more than throwing on his jacket since it was raining outside again, Suzaku darted out of the A.S.E.E.C's base and headed straight for City Hall.

 **. . .**

 _City Hall, Osaka Settlement_

As soon as he reached the City Hall, almost completely soaked through due to the rain, Suzaku darted into the entrance hall and gazed around, noting that the soldiers that were within the hall were lying slumped on the ground. He moved over to kneel beside one of them and checking his pulse; he felt it, though it was slow as if the man was asleep. Biting his lip, he shifted the man into a better position and, hesitating for a moment, borrowed the soldier's gun; he might need it.

He darted off, heading toward the staircase, though not without checking a few more soldiers lying unconscious on the ground. _Just what happened here?_ Suzaku thought with a frown as he darted up the steps, taking them two at a time, with the handgun, safety on, held at the ready just in case he ran into someone.

He reached the second floor and headed toward the second set of stairs, since he knew Lelouch's office was on the fourth floor, and darted up them before doing the same to get onto the fourth floor. So far, he hadn't run into anyone and Suzaku started to worry that they were already gone until he heard voices coming from nearby.

He darted into the nearest room he could find and crouched down beside the door, peering out through the crack he'd kept open. He spotted a group of six people appearing in the mouth of the hall; one of them was carrying an unconscious Lelouch in his arms. That must be the Sand person that Suzaku heard mentioned on the phone.

"...having the Elemental Squad meet us on the first floor," the black-haired woman in the lead said, glancing at her companions. "Now that Lightning's confirmed the escape route and that there's no one to stop us, let's get moving."

Suzaku gritted his teeth. He was badly outnumbered and they were all carrying guns. Even if he could shoot one of them, he'd probably end up getting shot before he could fire off another shot. But if he struck quickly enough, he might be able to get to Lelouch and get him out of there before they could react.

Lelouch started stirring at that moment, eyes fluttering open, and the black-haired woman scowled. "Damn, I was hoping the gas would last a bit longer. It must not have been as strong as what we used on the rest of this place," she said and, holstering the gun in her hand, pulled out a syringe filled with a pale-green liquid. She uncapped it and inserted it into Lelouch's neck before the prince could say anything. Amethyst eyes widened before they dilated and Lelouch sagged bonelessly back into Sand's arms.

 _What did they do? What is that?_ Suzaku thought.

"How long do we have?" Lightning asked.

"A little over half an hour before he falls unconscious but that's plenty of time to get him out of here and secure him, then I'll give him the antidote," the black-haired woman said, tucking the syringe away.

"You have it on you?"

The black-haired woman gave Lightning a look as if to say 'are you stupid?' "Of course I have it, moron," she huffed. "Let's get moving."

Suzaku had to act quickly. He gritted his teeth and darted out of the room, jumping at the nearest men and crashing a spin kick into his face. He whirled around and fired his gun at the second man before ducking and tackling the third man into the wall.

"I thought you said there wasn't anyone in here?!" the black-haired woman exclaimed, pulling out her gun but Suzaku dove behind the man holding Lelouch before she could fire. He then fired at the man's kneecap, causing him to shout in pain as he collapsed, letting go of Lelouch as he did so. Suzaku knelt down and fired at the black-haired woman and Lightning, forcing them to dive into a nearby room to avoid the bullets.

Still firing, Suzaku got to his feet and darted forward. He holstered his gun and lifted Lelouch into his arms. Darting back toward Lelouch's office, he dived into the hallway to avoid the hail of bullets that flew at him.

Scrambling to his feet, Suzaku darted off again, running into a room and throwing the door closed behind him. He locked it and glanced at his friend to find Lelouch looking completely out of it; his eyes were dilated and he obviously wasn't coherent. Placing his friend on the ground, Suzaku crouched by the door and pressed his ear against it.

"…did that damn boy go?" the black-haired woman's voice said.

"He came down here. That much is clear. He must've hidden out in one of these rooms. What do we do, Cherry?" Sand's voice said.

"The boss wants the prince. When we find them, kill the boy and take the prince. Find them now."

"Yes, ma'am."

Suzaku gritted his teeth and scanned the room he'd entered. He noticed that it was a reception room and there was another door leading out of it. He picked up Lelouch again and darted for the door, opening it and peering into it. There was another door that would take him into the hallway but, for now, it would do.

Slipping into the room, he closed the door, locking it behind him, and placing Lelouch down again. He peered at his friend but it was clear that Lelouch didn't seem aware of very much of anything. He waved a hand in front of his friend but the prince just blinked and said nothing, looking completely relaxed and content.

 _That drug works quickly,_ Suzaku thought with a frown and shifted over to the door, pressing his ear against it to see if the infiltrators had entered the room he'd just left.

 **. . .**

 _Outside the Abandoned Hotel, Osaka Settlement_

Clutching at his head, which was throbbing painfully, Dimitri slowly pulled himself out of unconsciousness and blinked, gazing around. He was lying on the steps of the hotel with his laptop, surprisingly undamaged, laying open next to him; it had restarted at some point, revealing the logon screen.

 _How long have I been out?_ Dimitri thought as he picked up the laptop, using his shirt to wipe the water off and pulling it back onto his lap. He was glad that it hadn't been damaged when it fell or by the rain.

 _Now what was I…? Right, Prince Lelouch._ Dimitri picked up where his phone had landed on the stone next to him and dialed the prince's number. Unfortunately, it went straight to voicemail. Frowning to himself, Dimitri tucked the phone away and, closing his laptop, got to his feet.

Something wasn't right and, since someone had kicked him out of the surveillance system, the only way that he would be able to figure out what was happening was if he returned to the security room.

Without a word, he darted off to the City Hall.

 **. . .**

 _City Hall, Osaka Settlement_

"Where is that damn boy?" Naora demanded, glaring at her companions. She was down to four with her since Sand was unable to do much with a shot-out kneecap and Storm remained with him to help him. The Elemental Squad was split up and stationed on the second and third floor as per Naora's orders; they would serve to cut the boy off should he try to escape with the prince.

"We don't know, Cherry," Lightning said. "He's in one of these rooms."

"Then look through all of them!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Naora scowled as she watched the group split up and head toward the separate rooms, entering them and looking for the Japanese boy and the prince. She pressed her lips together as she strode forward, her hands on her gun. There were a few conference rooms and reception rooms on the fourth floor and, for four people, it would take time to search them all.

She walked into a room and began looking around at all possible hiding places for the boy and the prince.

 **. . .**

Meanwhile, in the room next to where Naora was searching, Suzaku cracked the main door open and peered out into the hallway. When he saw that it was empty for the moment, he moved to pick Lelouch up and darted into the hallway. Instead of heading back the way he'd come, he decided to take the roundabout away.

He rounded the corner and darted down the hallway. _If only I had a map of this place,_ he thought as he ran.

 **. . .**

In the security room, Dimitri slipped into it and tackled the only person that was in the room, sending him tumbling to the ground. The terrorist whirled around and slammed a kick into Dimitri's stomach, throwing him off him. Dimitri crashed into the table but he scrambled to his feet and dove toward the terrorist, slamming a fist into the man's face, feeling a crunch. He then yanked out the terrorist's gun and fired, catching the terrorist in the side and he fell to the ground.

Dimitri fired again to ensure that the terrorist wouldn't get up before moving to the computer, putting the gun down; that was the first time that he had ever shot someone and he was trying hard to push aside the nausea. He doubted that this would be the last time. However, the prince was in danger at the moment and if Dimitri could help him then he would, since that was the right thing to do. Thinking about that helped him get his mind off what he just did.

He logged onto the computer and immediately got into the surveillance system and began searching for the infiltrators and for the prince. He checked the prince's office first and then began looking at the halls and rooms of the fourth floor, pausing when he caught sight of a familiar brunet.

 _Suzaku?_ He thought, noting that Suzaku had disappeared into a room, carrying someone. He switched his view to the camera in that room and recognized the person that Suzaku was carrying as Prince Lelouch.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Suzaku's number, hoping that the phone was on vibrate so that it wouldn't alert the terrorists. Thankfully, that didn't seem the case as Suzaku suddenly pulled his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open.

" _Now's not really a good time, Dimitri,_ " he whispered.

"I have eyes on you, Suzaku," Dimitri said. "I'm in the security room. What has happened to His Highness and what is going on?"

Suzaku shifted on the screen. " _I'm not entirely sure. Prince Lelouch was drugged with something and, according to those terrorists, they have the antidote. And I'm being chased by four terrorists at the moment. I don't think they know where I am right now though,_ " he said.

Dimitri pulled up the surveillance footage of the hallway leading to the room Suzaku was in and noticed that the four terrorists were there, still looking through the rooms. "They're looking through all the rooms. You might want to get out of there quickly," he said.

" _There's no other door. If I leave now, they'll shoot me and get Lelouch,_ " Suzaku said.

"Why are they after him?"

" _I don't know._ "

Dimitri scanned the hall, noting that the men were getting closer. "I could hack into the system and turn off the lights. That'll give you a few seconds to get clear before they bring out any backup lights that they may have on them. And the lights will likely only stay off for a few minutes at most," he said.

" _All right. I should be able to put some distance between us in that time, might even get down to the third floor,_ " Suzaku said.

"Let me check on the third floor. Something tells me that these guys have back-up. It would make sense, since it would mean that they would have someone to make sure no one can interfere," Dimitri said, running his fingers across the keyboard and pulling up the surveillance footage of the third floor, pressing his lips together.

"I was right," he said. "There're three terrorists on the third floor, stationed by the stairs." He pulled up the surveillance footage for the second floor and noted that the same thing was going on there and repeated that to Suzaku.

" _I'm badly outnumbered then and I can't really fight that well with Lelouch in the condition he's in. He's so out of it that he can't even walk. Whatever that drug did to him wasn't good at all._ "

Dimitri bit his lip. "I'm going to try and get some help," he said.

" _Everyone in City Hall was knocked out as far as I could see,_ " Suzaku said.

Dimitri pressed his lips together. When he last checked, the only ones who were likely still awake were Lila and Tadashi, who were helping out in the medical transport last Dimitri saw, and the current four on watch duty. It wouldn't even the odds too much but it would help anyway.

"I'll get some back-up for you, Suzaku. For now, just…take care of yourself and His Highness," Dimitri said.

" _I will._ "

Dimitri ran his fingers across the keyboard, shutting off the lights on the fourth floor and then getting to his feet. He didn't have much time to get help for the prince.

 **. . .**

Back on the fourth floor, in the reception room, Suzaku waited until the lights went out before he, lifting Lelouch up, darted out of the room and down the hallway. He would have to find a place to hide out until he could figure out a way to overcome the three that were stationed at the base of the stairs on the third floor. With Lelouch, he couldn't do much; his friend may still be pretty light, despite having gained some muscle during basic training, but that didn't mean that Suzaku could fight with him.

But, he realized, he should also get the antidote to whatever that drug was. He didn't know of what would happen should the antidote not be administered but he didn't want to chance something bad happening.

 _I need to get Lelouch someplace safe before I can think of going after the antidote and I don't know how long it's gonna take Dimitri to get help,_ Suzaku thought, pressing his lips together as he gazed around until he darted into another room. This one was a conference room that had an extra door; closing the door he had just entered and locking it, Suzaku made his way into the adjacent room, noting that it had two doors as well.

He gently placed Lelouch on the ground and walked over to the main door before locking it and then back to where he'd placed the prince. "Lelouch?" he called softly.

Lelouch blinked at him. It was obvious he could hear him but didn't seem coherent enough to acknowledge that he had.

"I'm going to be right back. I'm going to go get that antidote for whatever they drugged you with. Just…be quiet," Suzaku murmured.

Lelouch blinked and Suzaku wondered if his friend had even understood him. He didn't have a choice; he had no idea of what would happen should the antidote not be administered and was not about to chance losing his best friend. He carried Lelouch over to the desk in the room and placed him under it as an extra precaution.

"I'll be back," he whispered and darted out of the office and into the conference room, locking the door behind him. He headed toward the door, slowly cracking it open and peering into the hallway, noting that the lights had turned back on and the terrorists were searching the rooms down the hall.

The black-haired woman was nearing the room and Suzaku pressed his lips together as he remembered that she was the one with the antidote. She shouted over her shoulder, "I'm checking this room," and headed for the door.

Suzaku pressed himself against the wall next to the door and watched as the woman made her way into the room before he launched himself at her, kicking the door closed and landing a kick to the back of her head, knocking her forward. She slammed her head into the conference table and slumped unconscious to the ground. He really didn't like hitting women but knew that he would never get the antidote otherwise.

He quickly searched her until he found the only other syringe she had on her person, a syringe that was filled with a sky blue liquid. _I hope this is it,_ he thought since he didn't want to accidentally kill his best friend.

Tucking the capped syringe away, Suzaku got up and darted back to the room where he'd left Lelouch. Unlocking the door, he slipped into it and closed the door quietly behind him. Pulling the chair behind the desk, he moved it to beneath the door to hold it in place for a few seconds and then crouched beside Lelouch.

Lelouch blinked at him sleepily and Suzaku gave him a small smile as he removed the syringe. _I hope that woman wasn't lying about this antidote,_ he thought as he uncapped the syringe and inserted it into Lelouch's neck. After injecting the antidote, Suzaku capped the syringe and tossed it away as Lelouch blinked. A few moments later, his eyes closed and he slumped unconscious against Suzaku.

Suzaku quickly checked his pulse and was relieved when he felt it before he lifted the prince into his arms and darted toward the door. His phone vibrated and he, shifting his grip on Lelouch, pulled it out and flipped it open. "Hello?" he said.

" _Suzaku, how are you doing?_ " Dimitri's voice asked.

"I've given Lelouch the antidote to that drug but he's unconscious now. I also knocked out one of the people chasing me but the others, no doubt, will not be far behind," Suzaku reported as he fitted his phone around his ear and peered out the room. The hallway was still empty so Suzaku figured that the others were still looking through the other rooms.

" _All right. I have a lock on your position. There's two ways you can go from where you are, right?_ "

Suzaku peered out the door again, noticing that there was a hallway in front of him. "Yeah," he said.

" _Go straight. You have a clear shot to the next hallway. You can use that hallway to get back to the stairwell. I've gotten Lila and Tadashi and am returning to the security room and they're on their way to get Margrave Gottwald and the other three that are on watch._ "

"Understood," Suzaku said and darted out of the room and down the hall in front of him.

 **. . .**

 _Outside, Osaka Settlement_

Rayne was bored out of her mind and mad.

She still had twenty minutes left of the watch that she had been assigned to and the only thing that she could do to pass the time was count the stars. Unfortunately, the weather decided that it didn't like Rayne and decided to start raining, which was why she was mad. Oh how she _hated_ the rain.

She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as the cold rain landed on her skin and scowled at the city that lay in front of her. She understood the importance of these watches but that didn't mean that she liked it, especially not in this weather. She glanced at Kay to find that her brother just remained calm where he was crouched next to Major Villetta Nu and bit her lip, remembering the incident from earlier that day.

She hadn't meant to let her temper get the best of her when she learned that Matthias had wrote to her brother. And, to make matters worse, she had shouted at Gretchen; while she didn't really care about that, she did care that she had disappointed Lelouch. The prince had already caught her and Gretchen in a family squabble once before and warned them that such things could cost them future missions that they were part of.

Rayne knew that she was running the risk of getting demoted if she continued to get riled up and let her temper get the best of her when it came to her elder siblings. She resolved to ensure that it didn't happen again; she couldn't let it happen again. Lelouch had even warned her that he wouldn't give her another chance. She swore that she would, at least, come to _tolerate_ her elder sister.

"Margrave!" A shout sounded and Gottwald, who was crouched on the ground next to Rayne, turned to face the sound of the shout, a scowl on his face. Nu, Kay, and Rayne also turned and Rayne was surprised to find Tadashi and Lila running towards them, both of them looking worried.

"What is…?" Gottwald began.

"Lelouch is in danger," Tadashi blurted out, interrupting Gottwald. "A large group of terrorists somehow shut down the security system and infiltrated City Hall; Dimitri told us that they're after Lelouch!"

"What?!" Gottwald's orange eyes went wide with surprise and then outrage. "How dare they…? Where are they?"

"We don't know," Lila said, much more composed than Tadashi, though she still looked worried. "Major Duncan said that Warrant Officer Kururugi is with him when we last spoke to him. He's heading back to the security room to keep an eye on the situation and help keep Kururugi and His Highness away from the terrorists. We were sent to get help and, as you four are the only ones currently awake, we thought it would be best to get your help."

Just then, Lila's phone rang and she pulled it out. "Hello?" she said. She nodded and put her phone on speaker before adding, "We're here, Dimitri. What's the situation?"

" _Kururugi and His Highness are pinned on the fourth floor. The terrorists split their forces and each group is converging on Kururugi's position. They've also withdrawn the rest of their forces that were stationed at the base of the stairs on the second and third floor, seeking to overwhelm Kururugi with sheer numbers likely,_ " Dimitri said.

"Why? It's one against all of them. Why would they wish to overwhelm him like this when they don't really need to?" Rayne said confused.

" _I do not know,_ " Dimitri said.

"It does not matter," Gottwald said firmly. "What matters is that His Highness is in danger with only one person to protect him. We must get to him and quickly." He immediately darted toward City Hall.

Lila hung up and followed suit with Tadashi, Kay, Rayne, and Major Nu quickly hurrying after them.

 **. . .**

 _Fourth Floor, City Hall_

"This isn't good," Suzaku murmured, peering out the door that he had hurried into as soon as he realized that the terrorists had split their forces, and that the six that were placed on the lower floors had joined with the original group. Now he was surrounded and was stuck in a reception room with only one door and ten terrorists converging on his location.

Lelouch stirred and Suzaku gently closed the door before darting back to his friend's side at the other end of the room in front of one of the cabinets and knelt down beside him. "Lelouch?" he whispered.

Lelouch's amethyst eyes fluttered open and he blinked before looking around. "Where am I?" he asked.

"One of the reception rooms on the fourth floor. How do you feel?" Suzaku asked, studying his friend. He noticed that Lelouch's eyes were no longer dilated and he didn't look as tired as he did earlier.

"A little tired but not bad. What happened?" Lelouch asked, pushing himself to a sitting position.

"Long story short, we're in trouble," Suzaku said grimly.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "What kind of trouble?"

"If you surrender the prince now, boy, we'll spare your life! Now open the door and hand over the prince!" A voice shouted outside the door before the door knob jiggled.

Lelouch glanced at it and turned to Suzaku. "Oh, _that_ kind of trouble," he said.

"Yeah, _that_ kind of trouble," Suzaku said, gritting his teeth, his hand tightening on the gun that he still had. He hadn't been able to use it before due to fact that firing it would've given away his position but he _might_ be able to hold them off long enough for Dimitri's reinforcements to get there.

Even if it meant that he might not survive the oncoming onslaught but then, Suzaku wasn't scared of dying. How could he be when he felt he deserved it after what he did to his father? Besides, he was part of the military now and everyone who was part of the military was in danger of dying every day; people died in battles and wars. That was just the way it was.

At the very least, Suzaku hoped that he would be able to keep his friend safe long enough for Dimitri's reinforcements to get there.

"Open the door now!" The voice shouted again and Suzaku shifted until he was crouched in front of Lelouch, handgun in hand as he glared at the door, clicking the safety off and preparing to fire as soon as the door burst open. The door burst open a moment later and Suzaku fired at the first person to come through the door a few times; the first bullet hit his chest and the second got the shoulder of the man that was coming in behind the first man, since the first man had collapsed with the first shot.

Suzaku continued to fire, not letting the terrorist get a chance to fire their own weapons, but, eventually, after taking out five of the terrorists, he ran out of ammo. Swearing, he crouched in front of Lelouch, watching as the remaining four terrorists entered the conference room.

"You sure put up a fight…and to protect a Britannian at that," the black-haired woman said with a cool smirk as she brushed past her companions and came to a stop in front of Suzaku, her gun in her hand but pointed downward. She gestured for her men to lower their weapons as she added, "I'll give you one last chance. Surrender the prince and we'll let you live."

"No," Suzaku said firmly. "I won't let you take him. If you want Prince Lelouch, you're going to have to go through me!"

"Suzaku…" Lelouch murmured.

"Fine then," the woman said flatly and gestured to her men. "Kill him."

However, before their men could even take aim, the sound of gunfire came behind them. The terrorists immediately separated and dived in opposite directions. Suzaku grabbed Lelouch, yanking him down, and shielding his body with his own as a spray of bullets sailed over his head.

The hail of gunfire stopped and Gottwald's voice shouted, "Surrender now, terrorists!"

"Never!" The woman shouted and she and her four companions began firing back.

Suzaku remained crouched over his friend's body as the hail of bullets that missed the enemy sailed over his head. He turned his head to the side and watched as the group continued to fire at each other.

"We need to move," Lelouch whispered.

"I know," Suzaku murmured back.

The two began edging their way toward the couch that they could use as a cover from the hail of gunfire. Suzaku made sure to keep himself between Lelouch and the gunfire. However, they were both able to make it to the couch without getting hit. The gunfire was getting worse and Suzaku could hear some of the terrorists crying out in pain; he peered around the couch in time to see two of the woman's companions' fall, their blood pooling around them.

The woman and her remaining companion, Suzaku recognized him as Lightning, darted deeper into the room.

Gottwald swiftly entered the room with Kay, Rayne, Tadashi, Lila, and Major Nu just behind him, all of their guns were pointed at the woman and her companion.

"You're surrounded. Put your gun down and hands in the air," Gottwald ordered.

Scowling, the woman put her gun down and held her arms above her head, Lightning did the same. Kay darted forward, picked up both guns and darted back to join the rest of the group.

"Your Highness, are you all right?" Gottwald asked.

"I'm fine, Jeremiah," Lelouch said, pushing himself to his feet and Suzaku got up as well. The prince then turned to the woman and Lightning. "Why did you try to kidnap me?"

The woman and Lightning didn't answer.

"Answer him!" Gottwald hissed.

"Our boss wants you," the woman said finally. "We were never told why, only that he wanted you to be brought to him alive and unharmed."

"And so you saw fit to drug me?"

"What?!" Gottwald looked furious.

"We felt it would be easier if you couldn't fight back," the woman said with a shrug. "The drug isn't lethal and we had the antidote. That boy"—she gestured toward Suzaku—"already injected you with it. Otherwise, you'd probably still be unconscious."

Lelouch pressed his lips together before turning to Gottwald. "Have them arrested and transfer them to the military base. Inform Major Hendon that he has some more prisoners to process," he said.

"Yes, Your Highness," Gottwald said, holstering his gun and moving over to join the woman and Lightning. Major Nu moved over to help while Lila, Tadashi, Kay, and Rayne holstered their weapons and relaxed.

Five minutes later, Gottwald and Nu were guiding the two terrorists out of the room. Lila, Rayne, and Tadashi followed Gottwald and Nu out of the room and Lelouch and Suzaku followed them.

Lelouch turned to face Suzaku. "Thank you," he said.

"I was just doing my duty, Your Highness," Suzaku said.

"Nevertheless, you did save me…again," Lelouch said with a faint smile. "I think this is becoming a habit of yours."

"Someone has to keep you out of trouble," Suzaku teased.

"You're one to talk. Might I remind you of the river incident?"

"Are you ever going to let me live that down?"

"Probably not."

Suzaku huffed but smiled in amusement.

"Kururugi!" Gottwald said suddenly.

Suzaku moved over to join the turquoise-haired young man. "Yes, sir?" he said with a salute.

Gottwald inclined his head. "You did well, Warrant Officer," he said.

"Thank you, sir," Suzaku said, a little stunned that he had actually received praise from the leader of the Purist Faction, someone who disliked Numbers intensely.

Gottwald and Nu walked away, guiding the woman and Lightning between them.

Suzaku turned around and was about to rejoin Lelouch and his friends but he froze when he spotted another terrorist dart out of the room, aiming his gun at Lelouch's unprotected back. _Where did he come from?_

Banishing that thought quickly, he darted forward just as the trigger was pulled and threw himself between the bullet and Lelouch. A searing pain exploded in his chest and Lelouch's scream of "Suzaku!" was the last thing he heard before he fell into darkness.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Mob of Suzaku Fans: where is Blaze?**

 **Lelouch: (with a straight face) no idea**

 **Suzaku: what's going on?**

 **Mob of Suzaku Fans: SUZAKU! (Grab Suzaku and dart out of the computer room)**

 **Lelouch: (watches Suzaku get kidnapped) they're gone, Blaze, and they kidnapped Suzaku again**

 **Blaze: (slowly climbs out of bomb shelter) thanks for the help, Lelouch. Allen! Go use Crown Clown and get Suzaku back from his rabid fans. Once again, don't own D Gray man.**

 **Allen: okay (activates Crown Clown and darts out of the computer room)**

 **Euphie: Suzaku will be all right, won't he? Erm, in the chapter I mean**

 **Blaze: you will have to wait until next chapter to find out**

 **Nunnally: when will the next chapter be posted?**

 **Blaze: …what the heck. I'm gonna state a specific date in March. If I don't update this story on that exact date then you're all free to come after me with pitchforks and torches**

 **Lelouch: you've never kept an actual deadline before**

 **Blaze: I used to! It actually went quite well…for a few weeks anyway.**

 **Lelouch: a few weeks…right**

 **Blaze: oh hush you. The next chapter will be posted on Sunday, March 12** **th** **.**

 **Lelouch: now let's see if you will be able to update the story on that exact date**

 **Allen: (walks in with torn clothing, burns on his arms and legs, and Crown Clown wrapped around Suzaku, who also had torn clothing** **and** **was trembling with terror) got him**

 **Suzaku: Fans. Are. Terrifying!**

 **Lelouch: welcome to my world. Why do you look like you just walked through hell though, Allen?**

 **Allen: no one told me that Suzaku's fans got their hands on a dragon somehow**

 **Blaze: so that's what happened to Eclipse. I was wondering. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated. Thank you very much for reading.**


	20. An Unofficial Knight

**Well, it is March 12** **th** **(where I live anyway)** **and I'm updating! I told you I could do it.**

 **Bakura: whoopie. Would you like an award?**

 **I can do without your snide sarcasm, Bakura, so shut up.**

 **Bakura: by the way, the Suzaku Fans are coming**

 **Shit! Lelouch! Finish the beginning author's note! (Takes shelter in bomb shelter beneath the original bomb shelter)**

 **Lelouch: all right (pulls out piece of paper) Blaze would like to thank** _ **Shadowsought, TC9078, OBSERVER01, harlequin320, chimera629, Demons Anarchy of Pride, F.C.C.S., Shadow-Shinobi666, Scarease, Doommajor, B-Kira, DYnoJackal19,**_ **and** _ **Shimmering-Sky**_ **for reviewing the last chapter.**

 **Ryou: also, Blaze would like to point out, in case you didn't read the note in the last chapter, edits were made to the end. The ending was not changed but some things before it were.**

 **Lelouch: (hums) I feel like I'm forgetting something…**

 **Ryou: I'm getting that same feeling…**

 **Lelouch: …**

 **Ryou: …**

 **Lelouch: well, perhaps Blaze will remember**

 **Ryou:** **maybe. Anyway, e** **ven though this chapter is not as long as the last one, Blaze hopes that you enjoy it and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _January 20, 2010_

 _Garden, Kururugi Shrine, Japan_

 _"Once upon a time, there lived a prince and his knight. These two were the best of friends and have been best of friends since they were children. Due to the knight having lost his family before, he saw the prince as a brother and that just made their friendship even stronger. The knight was very kind and very helpful, always willing to put others before himself and his loyalty to the prince was strong. He would never let anything happen to the prince, no matter what. He proved this on a cold, winter night when he and his prince were attending a ball thrown by the prince's father. The prince's father had many enemies; enemies who hated the prince's father and sought to hurt him by going after his son and one of those enemies managed to get into the ball."_

 _"Oh no," Nunnally gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, concern on her face. "Was the prince all right?"_

 _Lelouch chuckled at his seven-year-old sister. "He was fine, thanks to his brave knight. You see, while the enemy had managed to sneak into the ball, the knight automatically didn't trust him. He tried to warn the prince, stating that he was in danger, but the prince didn't believe him."_

 _"Why not?" Nunnally asked._

 _"Yeah, why not?" Suzaku's voice said and Lelouch turned to find his newest friend walking into the garden where Lelouch and Nunnally were seated by the artificial stream._

 _"Because he was incredibly stubborn and refused to believe anyone would target him," Lelouch replied._

 _Suzaku sat down next to Lelouch and smiled. "Sounds like you," he said._

 _Lelouch huffed and shoved Suzaku, though that didn't do much to actually move the other ten-year-old. "Anyway, the enemy sought to get close to the prince to hurt him so as to hurt his father but the knight refused to let the enemy get anywhere near the prince. He always kept the prince distracted, which greatly frustrated the enemy. Finally, the enemy decided to try and hurt the prince from a distance, hoping that the knight wouldn't notice. But what he didn't know was that the knight was paying attention and so when the enemy tried to attack the prince from afar, the knight was ready. He pulled the prince to safety and then shouted for the guards, telling them exactly where the enemy was."_

 _"He saved the prince!" Nunnally said happily._

 _Lelouch chuckled. "That he did. The prince's father was so thankful to the knight for saving the prince's life that he offered him anything he wanted as a reward; money, the hand of a fair princess, anything. Do you want to know what the knight wanted?"_

 _"What? What?" Nunnally asked eagerly._

 _Lelouch smiled. "Absolutely nothing," he said._

 _Nunnally tilted her head to the side._

 _"Why not?" It was Suzaku who asked the question that time._

 _"The knight told the prince's father that he was happy with everything that he had and he didn't want anything else," Lelouch said. "He said that he just wanted happiness and a family and he had that with the prince and the prince's family. The prince's father told the knight that if that was the case then he would officially welcome the brave knight into his family, thus making the knight and the prince officially brothers. The end."_

 _Nunnally smiled brightly. "That was a great story, Big Brother," she said happily._

 _"Where'd you hear that?" Suzaku asked curiously._

 _Lelouch shrugged. "I just made it up," he said._

 _Suzaku blinked in surprise but Nunnally chuckled._

 _"He always does that when he tells me stories, Suzaku," she said. "I like those kinds of stories better. Big Brother, are you gonna get one of those kinds of knights someday?"_

 _Lelouch blinked and then shrugged. "I dunno," he said._

 _"I hope you find a knight that's like the knight in your story," Nunnally said with a beaming smile and then blinked when a snowflake suddenly landed on her nose. "Oh. It's snowing!"_

 _Sure enough, the sky had turned white while Lelouch was telling his story and snow was starting to fall from the sky._

 _"We should get inside so we don't get sick," he said._

 _"I should get going anyway. I have a lesson with Tohdoh-_ sensei _in ten minutes," Suzaku said, starting to get up._

 _"Can we stay out here a little longer? Please?" Nunnally asked pleadingly, pouting at them, one hand grasping Lelouch's hand and the other grabbing Suzaku's, preventing the latter from leaving._

 _Lelouch and Suzaku exchanged glances before Lelouch settled back down on the ground and Suzaku, with a sigh, also sat down. "For a few more minutes," Lelouch said finally._

 _"Thank you!" Nunnally said happily._

 **. . .**

 **20**

 **An Unofficial Knight**

 _July 11, 2016_

 _City Hall, Osaka Settlement_

"Suzaku!" Lelouch cried, swiftly catching his best friend as he collapsed. He had not expected Suzaku to throw himself between him and the bullet but then he hadn't been expecting the attempted assassination. All this time, these people were trying to kidnap him and suddenly they were trying to kill him? It didn't make any sense..

He fell to his knees, Suzaku's body in his arms, while Tadashi fired his handgun once, taking out the terrorist with a single gunshot to the head when the terrorist raised his gun to fire again.

Lila hurried to Lelouch's side and took Suzaku's hand, feeling his wrist. "Still has a pulse but it's fading. We're going to need to get him to the medical transport swiftly. He doesn't seem to be losing that much blood but we should be careful."

A little numb from the shock, Lelouch nodded and Lila let go of Suzaku's hand, shouting at Tadashi to go inform the medics that they had an injured man coming in and the burnt-orange-haired young man bolted away. Lila turned to Lelouch. "Since he's not bleeding too much, we should be able to move him safely."

"I can carry him, Your Highness," Jeremiah offered.

Lelouch nodded. "Major Frost, Lieutenant Frost, accompany Major Nu to escort the prisoners to the military base," he ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness," Rayne and Kay said immediately before they darted off to take Jeremiah's place while Jeremiah swiftly made his way to Suzaku's side and, gingerly, lifting the boy into his arms.

"Keep him steady and try not to move him too much," Lila ordered. "We don't want to risk shifting the bullet since it's likely still in him."

"Understood," Jeremiah said and turned to Lelouch. "Your Highness, you should come with us. We should make sure the drug is really out of your system."

Lelouch nodded. The shock was fading but he suddenly felt exhausted and wasn't sure if it was an aftereffect of the antidote or the shock of watching his best friend take a bullet for him, saving his life yet again in the process.

 _You just can't stop saving my life, Suzaku,_ Lelouch thought with a small, rueful smile as he thought about the many times Suzaku had saved his life during the invasion and the three times since they left the Tokyo Settlement.

Lelouch didn't want Suzaku to die though, not when he was such a valuable ally as well as his best friend. He doubted that there were very many people who shared a similar goal to him and Suzaku was one of those. Not only that but he was an Ace knightmare pilot and an incredible fighter. But, more than anything, he was the only person in the entire world that Lelouch trusted as much as he trusted Nunnally. That was high praise when it came to Lelouch whose trust was very hard to come by.

As he followed Jeremiah and Lila toward the stairs, Lelouch thought about everything that had happened; the assassination attempt by the Crimson Sakuras after the battle of Osaka, the kidnapping attempt made by these terrorists—Lelouch made a mental note to figure out which faction they were part of—and the second assassination attempt made by that terrorist. And all of three of those happened in the span of less than two weeks.

Lelouch understood that his life would be in danger the instant his royal heritage was revealed but two assassination attempts and one kidnapping attempt in only twelve days? He shook his head; he doubted that they were by the same group. The kidnapping and the second assassination attempt clearly were.

Either way, Lelouch wondered if it would be best if he created himself a Royal Guard. Most princes and princesses had Royal Guards; some of them fought alongside them, like Cornelia's Glaston Knights, some of them worked like advisors or enforcers, like Clovis's Royal Guard. Basically, a Royal Guard, nowadays, was like the personal militia of a prince or princess; however, their most important duty was protecting a member of the royal family.

Lelouch could also use his own personal militia because they would be loyal to him and him alone and that would help him greatly in his plans to destroy Britannia from within. He would need his own allies, people that he trusted, and his own Royal Guard would certainly be a step in the right direction.

And he already had an idea of just who to ask to join.

As for Suzaku, Lelouch couldn't deny that Suzaku had saved his life more times than the prince could count. He owed him that, especially now that he had actually thrown himself in front of a bullet to save Lelouch. He bit his lip and pushed the thought away; according to Lila, Suzaku wasn't losing much blood and was still alive and Lelouch was sure that he would make it. So, instead, he thought about Suzaku's plan, about how he wanted to rise through the ranks to become the Knight of One and claim Area 11 as his area.

Lelouch's lips pressed together in a frown. He knew that Suzaku would _never_ be able to achieve that; he knew of just how the Emperor was. The Emperor would _never_ allow Suzaku to join the Knights of the Round, even if Suzaku defeated the current Knight of One himself in combat. As it was, the only reason that Suzaku had gotten as far as he had was because Lelouch was willing to go against Britannian policy to give Suzaku what he felt he deserved.

An idea came into Lelouch's mind and he smiled to himself. _And I will do that again,_ he thought.

Suzaku would never be a Knight of the Round.

But Lelouch could, and would, give him the next best thing.

 **. . .**

 _Hangar, Hidden Base, Island of Olkhon_

Noon came swiftly and Unity found himself in the hangar of the Liberators main base of operations, studying the knightmare frame that the genius scientist Alexei Kozar had brought with him. Alexei was one of three geniuses in the world that Unity knew about; the other two was Earl Lloyd Asplund of Britannia and the Indian woman Rakshata Chawla. Nevertheless, Alexei's inventions were certainly unique and this one was no exception.

The knightmare frame stood at just over five meters tall and was painted midnight-blue with silver streaks along its arms, down its side, and over its face as well as silver shoulder-plates imprinted on which was the insignia of the Liberators. Its factsphere sensor rested on its chest, hidden by silver panels, and, held in one of its hands, was a midnight-blue spear with a crystalline diamond bladed edge.

"Ah, Unity, hello," Alexei greeted Unity as he strode over to join him and Adeline, the latter of whom insisted on coming with. Alexei Kozar was a tall, broad-shouldered man in his late twenties with messy chestnut-brown hair and silver-gray eyes.

"Ohh, this is nice," Adeline said, staring wide-eyed at the knightmare frame and wandered over to look at it, running her fingers over it.

"Yup. My newest creation. It's not…exactly…complete yet, I still have some tests to run on the float system that I plan on building into the knightmare frame itself and the pulse guns still has several glitches that I need to work out, but everything else has been tested and works," Alexei said.

"What is it?" Unity asked.

"I call it the _Starfire_. It's a seventh-generation knightmare frame prototype, based roughly on the designs that I stole of the sixth-generation Gloucester that Britannia uses, but I certainly made it better than that! Runs on the same power source that other knightmares run on and utilizes a landspinner propulsion system as well as a cockpit ejection system but that's where the similarities end," Alexei said and pulled out a piece of paper, holding it out to Unity who took it, realizing it was a schematic of the _Starfire_.

"It's the _Starfire_ 's armament that truly separates it from the other knightmare frames," Alexei said as Unity scanned the schematic. "The primary weapon is a double-edged Diamond Bladed Spear, utilizing the same material that was used to make the Claws of the Lupi; however, it has an automatic sharpening system installed within it, which prevents it from dulling. It also has two Slash Harkens mounted on its shoulders. Once I figure out the glitches, the _Starfire_ will also have an electromagnetic pulse gun in the palm of each of its hands."

"Electromagnetic pulse gun?" Adeline echoed, wandering back to join them and tilting her head to the side in confusion. "Isn't that something that can fry electronics or something like that?"

"Pretty much, yes," Alexei said. "If I compute the calculations correctly, the pulse guns will 'fry' the electronic components of whatever it hits."

Adeline whistled. "Nice," she said.

"Unfortunately, I haven't tested the knightmare in a real-life scenario yet. I was hoping your sister would be willing to test it out for me," Alexei said.

Adeline's blue eyes went wide with shock and she pointed at herself. "Me?" she said. "B…But I've never…I mean, sure I've piloted a Lupus before but never for very long."

"But it's 'cause of your performance with a Lupus that I think you'll do really well," Alexei said. "Don't worry, it's not like it's going to be actual combat; it's just a simple test here on the island."

Adeline smiled a little. "I think I can do that. Okay," she said.

"Great!" Alexei said with a smile. "Now don't you worry, it's just some simple tests. I just want to ensure that the Slash Harkens can fire properly and that the DBS works like it's supposed to."

"That doesn't sound too hard," Adeline said.

"Well, here you go, Adeline," Alexei said and tossed Adeline the blue-and-silver activation key. "Go ahead and get situated and we can get to work."

"Sure," Adeline said and jogged over to the knightmare frame.

"Send me the results as soon as you have them," Unity said.

"Sure thing, Unity," Alexei said and walked over to the computer with the assistants Unity just noticed had come with him right behind him.

 **. . .**

 _July 12, 2016_

 _Medical Transport, Osaka Settlement_

"He was really lucky," Laura mused, peering down at the sleeping Suzaku. One full day had gone by since the attempted kidnapping and Laura and the medical staff, along with Lila, had been working quickly to help Suzaku. According to Laura's assessment, Suzaku shouldn't have survived that shot but he had because something had gotten in the way of the bullet and prevented him from receiving more damage.

Lila lifted up the broken pocketwatch and turned it over in her hands. "He must have had this in the pocket of his jacket and forgot it was there when he threw it on before leaving to help Prince Lelouch," she said.

"Lucky that he did have that; otherwise, it would have been much more serious," Laura said.

"Why's he still unconscious though?" Tadashi asked in confusion from where he was leaning against the wall of the transport, occasionally moving from his position to fetch something whenever Lila or Laura asked for it. Lila didn't know why Tadashi spent so much of his time in the medical transport but she didn't mind the extra help.

"Possibly shock and he did lose a lot of blood, not enough to be fatal, when we removed the bullet," Laura said.

"Should we transfer him to the hospital?" Lila asked.

"He's not in danger right now," Laura said. "He just needs rest."

"All right. I'll tell Prince Lelouch," Lila said and stood up before stretching. "He did say he wanted to speak to me and Private Akiyama anyway."

"He did?" Tadashi echoed.

Lila gave him a dry look. "Yes, he did," she said flatly and turned to Laura. "Are you going to need any more help here?"

'No, we're fine," Laura said.

"All right." Lila and Tadashi left the medical transport.

 **. . .**

 _Governor's Office, City Hall, Osaka Settlement_

Lelouch studied the background information that he had gathered about Major Villetta Nu. The silver-haired woman had helped Jeremiah and his friends take out those terrorists that were trying to kidnap him. That was why Lelouch was willing to look into her background to see if she would make a good fit for his Royal Guard.

She was a member of the Purist Faction despite the fact that her family had only obtained a noble title a few generations earlier, and she was an above average knightmare pilot and decent sharpshooter. She had been working alongside Jeremiah ever since she transferred to Area 11 and, according to Jeremiah himself, she was trustworthy. However, he wasn't sure whether to have Major Nu as part of his Royal Guard; he didn't know her nearly as well as he knew his friends or even Jeremiah.

 _Hmm, I suppose I should wait before I decide for her,_ he decided silently as he put the paper away and looked around the office. He hadn't reentered City Hall until Jeremiah and the Purist Faction had confirmed that it was safe to enter. They, and the rest of the regiment, had also done a sweep of the city and the ghettos and even the military base to ensure that there were no terrorists hidden away.

There was a knock on the door and Lelouch looked up. "Come in," he called and the door opened. Jeremiah walked into the room with Rayne, Dimitri, and Kay just behind him.

"You wished to see us, Your Highness?" Jeremiah said with a salute.

"Yes, though not everyone's here yet," Lelouch said.

"Lila and Tadashi are still helping out with Suzaku," Rayne said. "They should be here soon."

"How is he?"

"Don't know. Lila'll know though."

A few minutes later, Lila and Tadashi made their way into the office and joined the rest of the group gathered in front of Lelouch's desk. Lila saluted and said, "It looks as though Warrant Officer Kururugi wasn't as badly injured as we thought he was and he simply needs rest now but he's going to make a full recovery."

Relief flooded Lelouch and he nodded before he stood up and faced the six gathered in front of him. "That's good news. However, that is not why I have asked you here," he said, walking around the desk to stand in front of them. "After much thought, in light of recent events, I've come to a decision."

He gazed at everyone in front of him. "I want all of you to join my Royal Guard," he said.

Tadashi's jaw dropped while Kay, Rayne, and Lila stared and Dimitri's eyes lit up with surprise.

Jeremiah, however, immediately strode forward and knelt down, crossing his fist over his heart, his eyes locked on Lelouch's. "I am honored, Your Highness. I, Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald, do swear my loyalty to you as a member of your Royal Guard," he stated firmly and sincerely.

Lelouch wasn't surprised by this. He figured that this would happen; all Jeremiah's words really did was make the loyalty he felt toward Lelouch more formal than anything.

"A member of your Royal Guard…?" Kay murmured and then moved forward, kneeling down, and swearing his own loyalty to Lelouch. Dimitri and Lila followed suit and, after a moment of thought, Rayne also moved forward. Tadashi, once he got over his shock, also moved forward.

Lelouch smiled, satisfied.

Now, as soon as he woke up, Lelouch would speak to Suzaku.

 **. . .**

 _Hangar Bay, Hidden Base, Island of Olkhon_

Adeline Pelletier had to admit that she absolutely loved the _Starfire._ It was a natural fit; all the tests that Alexei had been having her do over the past day were done easily and Adeline was able to sync with the knightmare frame quickly. When she moved the knightmare, it was as if she was moving her own body; that was how natural it felt. Alexei told her that it was because she was a natural knightmare pilot but Adeline was sure that the training the other Liberators had given her was what really helped her to adjust quickly.

Sure, the _Starfire_ was not like the _Lupus_ but it was still similar in terms of how everything worked and where everything was. The only difference was that it was easier to find the armaments on the _Starfire._ Not that Adeline minded; she liked the _Starfire_ just the way it was.

"I love this knightmare," she said giddily when she jumped down from the cockpit.

"You certainly sync with it very well," Alexei said with a smile. "And all the tests have come through positive. This knightmare frame is gonna be ready for combat in no time! I wonder if I can convince Unity to let you be the knightmare's pilot when it comes to finally test it out in actual battle."

Adeline shivered just a little but she still smiled at the thought of testing the awesome machine in battle. Even if she hadn't completely gotten over what happened to her when she was young, she had managed to not let it affect her too much, especially when it came to piloting knightmare frames.

"I'm not sure about that," Unity said with a frown.

Adeline pouted. "But, Big Brother, I'm a good pilot," she said.

"Fighting isn't going to be easy and you're still only fourteen."

"I know that, Brother, but...I've been wanting to help out more with the Liberators for a while now and this could be my chance to do so!"

Unity sighed. "I'll think about it," he said finally.

Adeline, knowing that was the best she was going to get, nodded in agreement and returned her attention to the knightmare frame. It really looked nothing like the knightmares that occasionally haunted her dreams.

 **. . .**

 _July 13, 2016_

 _Tokyo Settlement_

Tara was starting to get irritated by her constant failed attempts to get to Princess Nunnally at Ashford Academy. She thought that if she could just get into that dance that those three students mentioned then she could take out the princess but that was just the thing. She had no idea how to get into that dance.

She thought about asking one of the students to go with her to the dance but she couldn't very well just walk up to someone and ask them. She wasn't a student and she was sure that they would notice that she wasn't a student. Pressing her lips together, Tara wondered if, perhaps, she could pretend to be a student like she had done to get close to Clovis at the museum.

The only problem with that was that the students had clearly noticed that she wasn't one of them at the museum. It was very likely that they would feel the same way should she suddenly just show up at Ashford Academy without anything to her name.

 _But maybe as a transfer student,_ she thought, pressing her lips together and she pulled out the cell phone B.B. had bought her a few years earlier. He told her that she was only to use it in an emergency but she felt that this was an emergency, at least for her.

Dialing B.B.'s number, she waited as it rang.

" _Yes?_ " B.B.'s calm voice sounded on the other end.

"Hey, I have an idea," Tara said.

" _...What kind of idea?_ " B.B. sounded wary but then Tara's ideas had a tendency of blowing up in her face. It was why the attempted assassination of Prince Clovis and Tara infiltrating the small resistance cell in the Shinjuku Ghetto had all been B.B.'s plans and went off, somewhat, without a hitch.

"Is it, at all, possible to get the papers necessary to make it seem like I'm a transfer student to Ashford Academy?" Tara asked.

" _And why would you want that? You hate school and interacting with others your age,_ " B.B. said.

Tara grimaced since she knew that was true. She wasn't very social nor was she very good at making friends with people her own age. She had tried with Kallen in that resistance cell but Kallen never trusted her, just like her older brother, and it never worked out.

"I know but I've got a lead on Princess Nunnally," Tara said quietly as she moved over to stand in the mouth of an alley, watching the many Britannians that were on the street wander past. "If I can get into Ashford Academy in time for this dance that one of the students is holding for the princess this Saturday then I can get at her and kill her."

" _So you still are set on that plan?_ "

"Of course I am. One less royal to worry about. I would've thought you'd be happy about that," Tara said. "I mean, you hate the Royal Family after all so why wouldn't you want them all dead? I mean, you did give me that task of assassinating Prince Clovis after all."

Without waiting for B.B. to respond, she added, "So can you get the paperwork needed?"

A sigh sounded at the other end. " _I will likely need to speak to the principal personally and act as your guardian but I should be able to get them done,_ " B.B. said.

"Great! I'll let you do that. I should probably go find something to wear for that dance," Tara mused as she hung up, left the alley, and headed toward the nearest clothing shop that she could see.

 **. . .**

 _Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement_

... _You're actually going through with this?…_

"I may as well. I can ask her to spy on the princess first and that kind of information could come in handy," B.B. said without moving his lips as he made his way across the campus toward the main building. In his hand was a folder filled with expertly forged documents detailing Tara's 'homeschooling' from 'Area 5'; he mused that it wasn't quite as hard as he thought it would be.

... _Are you so sure that she'll be willing to spy on the princess before taking her out? And do you really want her dead? That really doesn't help your plan all things considered…_

"She said that she'd take her out during the dance this Saturday. That will give her the rest of this week to get information and Tara's too stubborn. I wouldn't be able to talk her out of her plan if I tried, and I have. Perhaps getting to know the princess will stop her from going through with her plan," B.B. replied, opening the door and making his way into the building.

... _I suppose that's possible but I highly doubt it..._

As it was in between classes, quite a few students were in the hallways. Many of them turned to look at B.B. but he ignored them as he meandered his way through them; it was a good thing that he was Britannian and he really wasn't that much older than the oldest students at the school.

"Hello, mister," a cheerful voice said and B.B. turned to find a tall, blonde girl with mischievous blue eyes walk toward him with an orange-haired girl pushing a wheelchair on which was the light-brown haired princess just behind her.

"Hello," B.B. said.

"I couldn't help but notice that you looked a bit lost. Can I help you find someplace?" the girl asked.

"Yes, actually. Do you know where Principal Ashford's office is?" B.B. asked.

"Of course. Right this way. I'll see you at the council meeting Shirley, Nunnally," the girl said.

"All right, Milly. C'mon, Nunna, is there anything you wanna do since both our classes are canceled today?" the orangette—Shirley—asked the princess.

"Can we go to the gardens?" Nunnally asked sweetly, turning her face toward Shirley.

"Sure," Shirley said and guided Nunnally out of the chair.

The blonde—Milly—took the lead and led the way down the hallway and B.B. walked after her.

"You're the Heiress to the Ashford Family, aren't you?" B.B. asked casually as he walked. He recognized the name as the family that had fallen from grace following the assassination of Empress Marianne. As he told Tara, any information found could be useful, especially if it was related to the Imperial Family.

Even if his vendetta wasn't against the family itself, as Tara seemed to think it was, it was still good to know about the family itself. After all, in his quest to avenge his fallen family, he would need to get through the Imperial Family in order to get at the person at whom his desire for revenge was mostly aimed.

... _And yet you continue to let her believe that it is the Imperial Family itself that you hate…_

 _She merely jumped to that conclusion herself and, at the moment, the Imperial Family is the one standing in my way, which is why I just let her continue to believe that,_ _even if she is blowing everything out of proportion,_ B.B. thought, since he didn't want the young heiress to hear him talking to himself, and especially not about the Imperial Family. Even if the Ashfords had fallen out of favor with the nobility and stripped of their noble titles, B.B. wasn't about to risk his somewhat treasonous words reaching the ears of the Emperor.

"Yeah, I am," Milly said, answering the question that B.B. had proposed earlier.

B.B. hummed. "I heard that your family supported Marianne vi Britannia and her death was what caused you to lose your noble status," he said. That was a matter of public record so B.B. knew that the young woman at his side wouldn't be suspicious.

"Yeah. Here we are," Milly said, coming to a stop in front of a door and knocked on it. "Grandfather, there's someone here to see you."

"Go ahead and send them in," Rueben Ashford's voice sounded on the other side.

Milly stepped aside. "I'd better get to class," she said.

"Thank you for showing me the way, Miss Ashford," B.B. said with a slight bow.

"You're welcome...um..."

"B.B."

Milly raised an eyebrow. "Oh I see. You don't like your real name, huh? That's why you've got a nickname that you'd prefer to go by, eh?"

"Yes," B.B. said. It was best to just go with that since the truth was he had been going by the name B.B. for so long that he couldn't even remember his real name. That was what happened when one lived for centuries using only initials for his name. He mused that C.C. was probably in the same predicament, though she was much younger than he was.

He entered the office after Milly left and Rueben Ashford looked up. "Hello, what can I do for you?" the principal asked, folding the folder he'd been looking through and fixing blue eyes, like his granddaughter's, on B.B.

"I simply came because I was hoping that I could transfer my cousin to Ashford Academy. She's been homeschooled the past couple of years but, recently, she's been wanting to experience attending an actual school," B.B. explained.

"And so you decided to enroll her into Ashford?"

"Yes, if at all possible. Paying the tuition won't be a problem either," B.B. said. He had saved up quite a bit, even if he wasn't getting them through legal means but when one didn't age, one had to do what he could to survive in a constantly changing world, even if it meant stealing.

"I don't see why not. Do you have her transcripts and the necessary paperwork?" Ashford asked.

"Right here," B.B. said, handing the old principal of Ashford Academy the folder.

He looked through it and nodded. "Everything seems in order. Are you her legal guardian?"

"Yes."

"Then I will need a few signatures here and here." He pointed to specific portions on the paperwork and B.B. scrawled a messy signature that no one could decipher before handing the papers back.

"I'll input everything into the system and get her a class schedule as well as everything else she'll need, like a uniform and her school supply list. She can start tomorrow. Have her come by my office tomorrow morning by eight," Ashford said.

"All right. Thank you," B.B. said.

 **. . .**

 _July 14, 2016_

 _Medical Transport, Osaka Settlement_

It was early morning when Suzaku finally stirred. His chest ached and he felt tired but, other than that, he felt all right. More importantly, he could tell, simply by the pain in his chest, that he was alive. He was pretty sure the dead didn't feel pain and that made him wonder just how he survived getting shot in the chest.

His eyes fluttered open and Suzaku blinked them a few times as they slowly adjusted to the bright fluorescent lights that shone into them. His movement attracted the attention of a familiar blonde girl who immediately moved to his side.

"Good morning, Suzaku," Lila greeted him calmly as she went to work removing the bandages around Suzaku's chest and studying the injury, which wasn't as bad as Suzaku thought it would be. "How do you feel?"

"Tired, my chest hurts," Suzaku said, wincing as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Lila helped him up.

"Tadashi, a roll of bandages," she called. "And, after that, inform Prince Lelouch that Suzaku's awake."

"On it," the burnt-orange-haired boy called back as he moved around the small transport toward the cabinet and began digging through it for a roll of bandages while Lila dabbed some water on the wound.

"You were lucky," she said. "The bullet didn't hit anything vital. In fact, it just barely pierced your skin since something blocked it. Your chest's bruised and will probably hurt for a while though."

"What blocked it?" Suzaku asked, bewildered. He hadn't been wearing a kevlar vest and the only thing that he had on was his jacket. Even if it was zipped closed, due to him not wanting to get _that_ drenched in the rain, it still wouldn't have been able to block a bullet.

Lila took the roll of bandages from Tadashi who then patted Suzaku on the shoulder, said, "Glad you're awake, Suzaku," and darted out of the medical transport before the young Honorary Britannian could reply.

Lila began winding the bandage around Suzaku's chest as she said, "You had something in the inner pocket of your jacket that caught the bullet. I don't think you noticed it when you put your jacket on 'cause you were too anxious to help Prince Lelouch."

She finished with the bandages before reaching for something resting on the side table and held it out to Suzaku. He took it, immediately recognizing it as his father's pocket watch, with the glass shattered and the time frozen at a little after one in the morning.

"That must be pretty important to you if you keep it close to you," Lila noted.

"It is," Suzaku admitted, resting the pocket watch on his leg and another question entered his mind. "Is Lelouch all right?"

"I'm fine, Suzaku," Lelouch's voice sounded and Suzaku and Lila turned to find the prince walking into the transport, cloak swirling around his ankles as he moved, his amethyst eyes fixed on Suzaku. "You saved my life again. I swear that's becoming a bad habit of yours."

Suzaku's lips pulled back in a slight smile. "I would've thought that would be a good habit," he said. _Besides, with the blood of my father on my hands, I don't deserve to live,_ he thought bitterly.

Lelouch scoffed and muttered something under his breath before he turned to the others in the medical transport. "Excuse us for a while. I would like to speak to Warrant Officer Kururugi alone," he said.

"Yes, Your Highness," Lila and the other medical personnel said and left the transport.

Lelouch waited until the door had closed before returning his amethyst gaze to Suzaku. "You've saved my life more times than I can count, Suzaku," he said.

"I'm just doing my duty," Suzaku said.

"You didn't have to do that during the invasion," Lelouch pointed out. "You went out of your way to ensure that Nunnally and I got to Tokyo in one piece and you're probably the only reason why Nunnally and I survived the majority of the invasion."

Suzaku shrugged. "You're my friend. You would've done the same thing for me, actually you _did_ do the same thing for me if I remember right. Besides, considering how weak you were, you needed all the help you could get."

"Haha," Lelouch said at the jab since Suzaku wasn't being serious—Lelouch was far stronger than he looked—and he knew that Lelouch knew it.

Lelouch's face then became serious. "Suzaku, what is your goal?"

Suzaku frowned at the sudden seriousness in the prince's eyes and posture. "You know the answer to that already, Lelouch," he said.

"Humor me."

His frown deepening, Suzaku decided to just answer the prince's question. "My goal is to rise through the ranks of the military and prove myself so that, someday, I can become the Knight of One and claim Area 11 as my area to protect it," he said. "But, like I said, you already know that. What's this about?"

"Your goal," Lelouch said simply. "You want to be a Knight of the Round, Suzaku. Unfortunately, it won't matter _what_ you do, you will _never_ achieve that goal. I know my father,"—he spat out that word as though it were a curse, his eyes glittering with barely-suppressed hatred—"and he is prejudiced to a fault. Even if you were to defeat the Knight of One himself in battle right in front of him, he would never acknowledge you nor would he ever make you a Knight of the Round, let alone the Knight of One."

Suzaku gritted his teeth at that. He knew that Lelouch wasn't saying this to be mean, he was simply stating a fact and Suzaku knew that, even though he didn't get along with his father—which was the biggest understatement ever—he definitely knew the Emperor better than Suzaku did. "But I have to try," he insisted. "I have to try!" _It's my fault since I killed my father to stop his call for a do-or-die resistance. I thought it would end all the killing and prevent more from dying, as well as protect Lelouch and Nunnally who would be in danger from my father's call. And yet...I have to atone. If I could gain control of Area 11, I could protect it and prevent the conflict from escalating more than it already has._

"Change is possible if one works within the system and I have to try and prove that true," he added.

Lelouch continued to observe him calmly, his eyes unreadable. "No matter how much you try, Suzaku, you will never become a Knight of the Round. However," he began and trailed off for a moment. "We both have a similar goal, Suzaku. As I told you during basic training, we both desire change and, together, I believe we can make that change a reality. After all, we proved during the invasion that, if we put our minds to it, we can do anything together."

A small smile crossed Lelouch's lips as he said softly, "You may never become a Knight of the Round, Suzaku, but I can give you the next best thing, something I believe you have earned many times over."

Suzaku was not expecting the prince's next words.

"Suzaku Kururugi, I want you to be my Knight of Honor."

 **. . .**

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

Kallen made her way into the council meeting room, yawning. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before with the nightmares of her brother's death still plaguing her, even though over two weeks had gone by since his death. The memorial that Naoto's resistance had held for him certainly helped but Kallen knew that it would take time to truly come to terms with it.

She noticed that Nunnally and Shirley were the only ones there at the moment, the latter was working on a homework assignment while the former was reading a braille book. Both of them lifted their heads when Kallen entered the room and Shirley smiled.

"Hey, Kallen," she greeted her.

"Hey," Kallen said and moved over to sit beside the friendly orange-haired girl. "So what are we doing today?"

"I dunno. Milly said something about welcoming yet another new member to the council. Apparently, she just started today and Milly, naturally, decided that she wanted another student council member," Shirley said.

"In other words, she saw a potential new minion and sank her claws into her before anyone else could," Rivalz said, walking into the room just in time to catch what Shirley had just said.

"Should we warn that poor girl?" Shirley wondered aloud.

"We didn't warn Kallen," Rivalz said.

Kallen bit her lip to keep from grimacing since none of them had warned her of just how much of a...a _She-Devil_ Milly was; the memories of the bake sale and the fairy-tale-themed ball came into her mind and she shivered. _Now I know why the prince likes to call Milly a 'she-devil',_ she thought.

The door opened again and Nina made her way into the room, greeting them quietly and then moving over to her computer. "Um, Milly's on her way here with the newcomer," she said quietly, logging on to her computer and starting to type.

The door opened at that moment and Milly walked in with a bright smile. "Hello everyone," she greeted happily.

Kallen was about to greet her as well when she caught sight of the aqua-haired girl that had walked into the room beside her. Her eyes went wide with outrage. "You!"

"You!" Tara, the girl that had betrayed Naoto's resistance and was the reason why Naoto was dead, snarled back and the two glared at each other.

"Um, you two know each other?" Shirley asked worriedly.

"No. She just reminded me of a bitch I came into contact with recently," Tara said, barely able to control her emotions and adopting a mask.

Realizing that she was also risking blowing her cover, Kallen quickly fought to regain control of her temper, though Tara's insult had not helped matters. "Yeah, same here," she said meekly once she got her temper under control.

Milly blinked but then shrugged. "Well, anyway, this is Tara Archer. She just started here at Ashford today and I thought it would be a good idea for her to join the Student Council," she said brightly.

Nunnally giggled. "If Big Brother were here, he'd say that you just did that to get a new minion," she said.

"Yeah, he definitely would," Rivalz said with a chuckle and turned to Tara. "I'm Rivalz by the way, the secretary of the student council."

"I'm Shirley. I'm on the swim team too," Shirley said.

"Um, I'm Nina," Nina said shyly.

"Kallen, the Vice President," Kallen said, barley able to keep her voice steady, though she was burning with anger.

"Kallen took over Big Brother's duties since he'd been the last Vice President," Nunnally said. "I'm Nunnally."

"She's our honorary member since she's still in the middle school division," Rivalz said.

"It's nice to meet all of you," Tara said, though Kallen noticed her eyes narrow a little when she gazed at Nunnally. The red-head then recalled that Tara had actually asked Naoto for permission to assassinate Nunnally and she pressed her lips together. She liked Nunnally; she thought the princess was a sweetheart and certainly not a threat, despite who her father was.

 _I won't let you harm Nunnally,_ she thought, biting her lip to keep from glaring at Tara.

"Well, why don't we put our work on hold and hold another welcoming party for Tara?" Milly suggested.

"I'm all for not working," Rivalz said.

"I swear you are just as lazy as Lulu used to be," Shirley said with a scoff.

"Speaking of Lelouch, has anyone heard anything from him?" Milly asked and turned toward Nunnally who nodded.

"He called me a few days ago and told me that he's doing fine but won't be returning for a while," Nunnally admitted.

"Well, that's just too bad. I guess you're gonna have to wait a while longer to get your next date with Lelouch, Shirley. Hmm, maybe I should find an outfit to make it _extra special_ ," Milly said as a perverted smirk crossed her lips.

No one missed the implication of that statement.

Shirley went red. "M...Madame President!" She cried.

 **. . .**

 _Medical Transport, Osaka Settlement_

Lelouch watched as a mixture of emotions surged across Suzaku's face at his words, the strongest of which was shock. His jaw had been unhinged and his eyes were wide as if he couldn't believe what Lelouch had actually said. Lelouch didn't take it back though; he truly believed that Suzaku deserved this and it would definitely help them in their goals.

It was well known that being a Knight of Honor was the second highest honor that any member of the military who was not part of the Royal Family could obtain—the only thing higher was being chosen to join the Knights of the Round—and it was a title that was _never_ given to a non-Britannian. There was no law against choosing a non-Britannian but it was against Britannian policy.

Knights of Honor were the personal knights of a prince or princess, chosen by said prince or princess and no one could countermand their choice, and loyal to them first and foremost. It was well known that Knights of Honor were often chosen to protect their prince or princess but some, such as Sir Guilford—Cornelia's Knight of Honor—fought alongside their prince or princess. It was also well known that someone who was chosen to be a prince or princess's Knight was someone that said prince or princess trusted with their lives.

That was one reason why Lelouch had chosen Suzaku. It wasn't just that Lelouch trusted Suzaku with his own life, he also trusted Suzaku with _Nunnally's_ life and it was rare for Lelouch to give that kind of trust to anyone. Besides, as Lelouch had already mentioned, Suzaku had saved his life more times than he could count, and nearly lost his life in this most recent save.

The other reason was that they both shared a similar goal and they were both striving to fulfill that goal. Lelouch wasn't lying when he told Suzaku that he felt that if they worked together, their goals could be realized. He felt that if he had Suzaku at his side then his goal to destroy Britannia from within would work.

"Y...You...What?" Suzaku managed to get out, breaking into Lelouch's thoughts.

"It's just as I said, Suzaku. I want you to be my Knight of Honor," Lelouch said.

"B...But I'm a Number! A Number can't become a knight, and especially not a Knight of Honor. It's just not done," Suzaku insisted.

"There's no law against it, Suzaku. It just goes against Britannian policy and I've been doing that since the moment I decided to transfer you and Tadashi to the 11th Regiment," Lelouch said.

"No one will like your decision," Suzaku argued.

"Yes but it won't matter. It's my decision. No one can make it for me, nor can anyone countermand my decision. I want you to be my Knight of Honor and I don't care if everyone else has a problem with my choice," Lelouch said. He knew that his reputation would take a huge hit when knowledge of him choosing a Number as his Knight of Honor was released to the public but he was willing to risk it to give Suzaku what he deserved and secure a valuable ally at the same time.

Besides, he knew that if he continued to prove himself useful to the Emperor, the Emperor won't care who he chooses as his Knight as long as Lelouch continued to be useful to him.

Lelouch couldn't care less about what the nobility thought or even the common Britannians thought. He didn't even really care what the Emperor thought. As long as he remained useful to the Emperor, Nunnally would be safe and that was all that mattered.

"Lelouch, I...Are you really sure about this?" Suzaku said. "I mean, I'm sure there're others that're more worthy of this position. Kay or Jeremiah even. Why not them?"

"I trust Kay and I do trust in Jeremiah's loyalty to me; however, the trust I have for them is not as strong as the trust I have for you. I trust you with my life and I trust you with Nunnally's life. That is a trust that I rarely give to anyone, as you already know. More than that, I believe you deserve this position. Besides, it will help you out in your goal, Suzaku."

"Huh?"

"You want to change Britannia from within by working within the system," Lelouch explained. "However, in order to do that, you need power, a power that you can only get through status, which is only earned through rising through the ranks. That is something that you would never have been able to earn on your own simply because of Britannia's policy of discrimination. So I've decided to give you what you deserve. I am granting you the status and the rank that will help you accomplish your goal, a status and rank that you've earned many times over. Is this not what you wanted? You may not be a Knight of the Round but if you become my Knight of Honor, you will be the next best thing."

He fell silent, watching as Suzaku thought about his words. He still looked reluctant and uncertain but Lelouch could see that his words were getting through to his old friend.

"I ask you, Suzaku Kururugi, will you be my Knight of Honor?" Lelouch said.

Suzaku was silent for a long moment, his eyes now fixed on the broken pocket watch in his hands, before he closed his fingers over it and slowly stood up. He rested the pocket watch on the bed and lifted his head to face Lelouch.

Then, he knelt down and crossed his fist over his heart. "I would be honored to be your Knight of Honor," he stated.

Triumph went through him but all Lelouch did was state, "Then I, Lelouch vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince of the Holy Empire of Britannia, do dub thee Sir Suzaku Kururugi,"—he brushed two of his fingers along each of Suzaku's shoulders in an unofficial knighting—"Knight of Honor."

He retracted his fingers and gestured for Suzaku to rise, adding, "The official knighting ceremony won't occur until we return to Tokyo. For now, it would be best if you simply act as you normally do. I don't want me choosing you as my Knight to become public knowledge until after the official ceremony."

Lelouch knew that no one would mess with Suzaku once the official knighting ceremony was concluded because everyone knew that any attack on an official Knight of Honor was seen as an attack on their prince or princess and was considered high treason against the Royal Family. However, he also knew that the same could not be said for before the official knighting ceremony.

Suzaku nodded, wincing as he stood up.

The door opened and Tadashi poked his head into the medical transport. "Your Highness, General Andon is here. Margrave Gottwald is showing him to your office," he said.

"I will be there in a few minutes," Lelouch said.

"Yes, Your Highness," Tadashi said and left.

Lelouch turned to Suzaku. "Get some rest. I expect we're going to be heading out soon," he said.

"Yes...my prince," Suzaku said, trying out the new honorific. He smiled a little and added, "I think it might take me some time to get used to that."

"I don't doubt that," Lelouch replied and left the medical transport, heading toward City Hall to speak with General Andon and leave his new unofficial knight to rest.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: (pokes head out of double bomb shelter) see? Suzaku's all right! You can all put away your weapons now**

 **Mob of Suzaku Fans: will Suzaku get hurt again in a future chapter?**

 **Blaze: (thinks about where she is in the story, pales, and dives back into the bomb shelter)**

 **Mob of Suzaku Fans: (readies weapons)**

 **Lelouch: would** **n't it** **be better to wait until that specific chapter happens before going after her?**

 **Mob of Suzaku Fans: good point (puts weapons away and strides off)**

 **Blaze: (pokes head out of bomb shelter) I don't know whether to be grateful that you scared them off or angry because they're going to be coming back** **now**

 **Lelouch: both. You should be thankful my fans haven't showed up calling for your blood**

 **Blaze: or Nunnally's**

 **Lelouch: (pulls out freezing chainsaw)** _ **why**_ **would Nunnally's fans be out for your blood?**

 **Blaze: ah, well, it's just...oh, look, there's the Emperor**

 **Lelouch: (glances towards the Emperor) I will let it go for now. I haven't killed the Emperor in a while (grins sadistically at the Emperor)**

 **Charles: (takes off running)**

 **Lelouch: (chases after him)**

 **Blaze: phew, that saves me for a little while. Anyway, I have a question to ask all of you. Now that twenty chapters have gone by, I would like to know. What do you think of Rayne, Kay, Lila, Tadashi, and Dimitri? They are still being developed [and yes I realize that some of their character arcs (Rayne's and Kay's) are longer than the others but they are all being developed little by little] but I am curious about what you think about them.**

 **Ryou: I remember now!**

 **Blaze: remember** **ed** **what?**

 **Ryou: what we were supposed to mention in the beginning author's note. It's about B.B.**

 **Blaze: oh yeah. Okay, so I know people probably are going to like B.B. even less after this chapter but I would like to say that he is blinded by the familial love he'd developed for Tara after coming to see her as a daughter after he'd lost his own family and that is why he believes that she can change (even though it is clear to the reader** **s** **who've actually delved into Tara's mind that the psychopathic bitch [** _ **who does not want to die!**_ **] cannot change). He may not be likable now but I plan on having him grow, develop more, and get at least somewhat better hopefully.**

 **Ryou: and Tara?**

 **Blaze: that bitch is gonna die because she's really pissing me off. She took her character arc and ran with it and does. Not. Want. To. Die! (Scowls in fury)**

 **Suzaku: but aren't you controlling her?**

 **Blaze: (pats Suzaku on the shoulder) poor naive Suzaku. That's not the way it works. Writers do not control their characters. They just write down what their characters decide to do and which path they decide to follow. Writers have no say in how the story goes. This is the reason why I can never** **follow an** **outline. I write an outline, my characters decide that they don't like how the outline's going halfway through the story itself, and I have to scrap half the outline.** **That** **is why I had to scrap the last** **six (** **yes,** **six. I** **t was originally three)** **chapters of ARC III and all of ARC IV and completely redo them** _ **three times.**_

 **Suzaku: oh I see**

 **Blaze: well, this author's note is getting far too long so I'm gonna end it here before I go off on another rant. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated and thank you for reading.**


	21. To the Northern Island

**Hey! I got this up before the end of March!**

 **Bakura: whoopie. You probably won't update for another three months after this.**

 **Shut up, Bakura! Anyway, I'm actually pretty far ahead in the rough draft but editing and revising the chapters is what's really stopping me from updating as periodically. But, in the rough draft, I'm only three chapters away from the end of Arc III. Not only that but I am almost positive about the number of chapters that this story will have. It will be 72 chapters long. (Note I say** _ **almost**_ **since this can still change). I hope to have this story finished before the end of May but we'll see**

 **Bakura: unlikely**

 **You know you're really annoying.**

 **Bakura: I know**

 **(Sigh) anyway, thank you to** _ **ewertondragon, harlequin320, OBSERVER01, DYnoJackal19, Shadow-Shinobi666, SpheresOfLonging, B-Kira, Shimmering-Sky, TC9078, Doommajor, Blacksword Zero,**_ **and** _ **Trife**_ **for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

 **SpheresOfLonging:** Kallen's reaction is not ooc. She was at Ashford Academy and she understood that pounding Tara's face in would be breaking her cover as a meek, weak, and sickly girl. No matter how much she wanted to pound Tara's face in and damn the consequences, she couldn't do it because of her cover, and because she is taking Naoto's orders to her to heart. If her cover was blown then she might not be able to fulfill her brother's orders. She will get her revenge. It will be a long time coming but she will get her revenge.

 **So here is chapter 21, it's another short filler chapter but, given that it's got some important information in it, it's a necessary filler chapter. I hope that you enjoy it and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _April 22, 2007_

 _Near the Mel Britannia Estate, Pendragon_

 _Flames licked at the sky and smoke coiled into the air. The sound of the explosion had momentarily deafened him but Branden Andon continued moving forward, his eyes narrowing as they teared up and stung because of the smoke. But he kept pushing forward; his princess, the woman to whom he had sworn his loyalty and become the Knight of Honor of, was in the house where the main fire was raging, though much more than just the estate had been caught in the blaze._

 _As were her two children; the seven-year-old Marrybell and the four-year-old Julia._

 _Smoke permeated the air, thick enough to make seeing more than a few feet in front of him almost impossible but he kept moving. Even if the smoke and the flames were preventing him from seeing it, he knew that the estate, or rather what was left of it, was in front of him._

 _He had no idea what happened. He'd left for only five minutes when Flora asked him to go visit the Zevons with a message from her. Since the Zevons didn't live that far from the estate, he felt it was safe to leave for a while. Besides, with how close they were to the Imperial Palace, he doubted that anyone could attack._

 _He was wrong._

 _He gritted his teeth as he moved. He hated being wrong and he hated that his princess might pay the price for his mistake. Branden was always one to shoulder the guilt of circumstances beyond his control; even in the military, when he'd lost a convoy of men during one of his battles in one of the states of the Europia United, he'd blamed himself._

 _The sound of crying came to him and Branden skidded to a halt before turning, straining to see through the smoke. "Who's there?" he called, coughing._

 _"B...Bran?" The familiar voice of Marrybell sounded and Branden bolted toward it._

 _He found the pink-haired seven-year-old girl covered in soot and coughing with tears streaming down her face underneath a tall tree that was several meters away from the flames. Relief flooded him as he moved to Marrybell's side and knelt down in front of her. "Mary, I'm glad to find you're all right. What about your mother?" he asked._

 _Marrybell shook her head. "She and Julia...they're gone. They...They couldn't get out in time," she whispered._

 _Branden bit his lip. His princess and her youngest daughter were dead. But her eldest wasn't. He had to get her to safety. He stretched out a hand and gently helped the seven-year-old princess to her feet. "C'mon, we need to get you to safety. I'm sure Oldrin will be relieved to see you're all right," he said, referring to the young girl that Marrybell had become friends with._

 _Marrybell nodded slowly and the two set off._

 _"What happened, Mary?" Branden asked._

 _"I...I don't know for sure. It happened so quickly. One minute, we were being visited by a friend of Mother's and the next, everything was on fire and Mother was telling me to run and get out of there," Marrybell whispered and turned her violet eyes to Branden. "Do you...Do you think it was terrorists?"_

 _"I don't know, Mary, but I will find out," Branden assured the pink-haired little girl as they hurried away from the flames._

 **. . .**

 **21**

 **To the Northern Island**

 _July 14, 2016_

 _Governor's Office, City Hall, Osaka Settlement_

General Branden Andon took a seat in front of the desk within the Governor's Office in Osaka. He had arrived only a few minutes earlier and had been escorted to the office by Margrave Gottwald whom had then sent a young Honorary Britannian with burnt-orange hair to find Prince Lelouch. As he relaxed in his seat, the aging Commander of the 11th Division thought about the report of the battles here at Osaka that he'd gone over during the ride to Osaka.

Prince Lelouch was clever and used what he had at hand to develop a plan to take back both the military base and the city itself. He had utilized the same entrance to the military base that the Crimson Sakuras had used to take the base and had been able to accurately predict the Crimson Sakuras move and use it against them. While this was his first engagement, it certainly gave Andon a good look into the mind of the recently-thought-dead prince.

It was why he felt that it would be rather interesting to see just how Prince Lelouch did against the Liberators.

Andon had received the word while he was busy cleaning up the mess left behind by the terrorists he'd caught at the docks, including the fact that one of the men he'd killed was the son of a nobleman, and the uprisings that manifested after that incident. He'd learned that the cell of the Liberators that Andon knew existed within Area 11 had made their move, successfully taking control of the island of Hokkaido; they'd split their forces, having one third take control of the military base at Hakodate and keeping their main force in the capital of Sapporo.

It was similar to the plan the Crimson Sakuras had utilized when they took control of Osaka and made Andon wonder if they were, somehow, helped by the Liberators. The Liberators have helped other resistance groups before, such as in Areas 3 and 5, so it was possible that they'd helped the Crimson Sakuras.

 _But why would they utilize a similar plan and on Hokkaido?_ Hakodate was a port city on the coast of Hokkaido; however, it was approximately three hundred and ten kilometers away from the capital of Hokkaido. The distance was much greater than it was between the military base of Osaka and the city and Andon couldn't figure out the reason for having a third of the cell so far from the main force.

Even if the port city held a military base in it, though Andon figured that could be the reason.

His phone started ringing as he waited and Andon frowned, wondering who was calling him but, since the prince hadn't shown up yet, he figured he could, at least, figure out who it was. He pulled out his phone, checked the caller ID, and frowned. Flipping open the phone, he said, "Mary, is everything all right?"

Marrybell mel Britannia had grown into a strong woman, fighting against terrorism as a way of avenging the deaths of her mother and her little sister. When the Liberators started to grow in strength, and started winning victory after victory, Marrybell, at the tender age of sixteen, had formed the Glinda Knights a couple of months ago. She had then faced off against the Liberators but, unfortunately, she lost and was forced to retreat before losing too many of her men. She was still fighting terrorism, though, and was currently in Europia United, which made Andon wonder why she was calling.

" _Everything's fine, Bran,_ " Marrybell said. " _I actually called because I wanted to ask you something. We've come into contact with another terrorist organization that seems based in the EU. They call themselves Peace Mark but that's all we've gotten since they've gone to ground since our last engagement with them. Do you know anything about them?_ "

Andon had come into contact with many terrorist organizations throughout his military career and knew that was why Marrybell was asking him, probably hoping that he'd come into contact with them. Unfortunately, he hadn't.

"I'm afraid I don't. I've never encountered an organization by that name," Andon said.

" _Oh. Well, all right. I'm going to start researching them and see if anything comes up,_ " Marrybell said. " _Thank you anyway, Bran._ "

"You're welcome," Andon said and hung up, slipping his phone back into the pocket of his uniform just as the door opened. He turned his head as Prince Lelouch made his way into the office.

"I apologize for being late, General," he said as he came to the desk.

"No need for an apology, Your Highness," Andon assured him softly, getting to his feet and giving the prince a short bow.

The prince took a seat behind his desk, observing him with piercing amethyst eyes. "Now, what is this new mission of mine?" he said.

"Straight to the point, I see," Andon said as he pulled out a flash drive from his pockets and placed it on the desk in front of the prince. "All the information I've managed to get is in there."

Prince Lelouch picked up the flash drive and inserted it into his computer as Andon went on to explain the situation.

"The Island of Hokkaido has been overrun by a cell of the Liberators," he said. "They struck without warning, taking control of the military base at Hakodate and then moving on to secure a hold on Sapporo. I'm estimating it was around the same time that the engagement here ended but I cannot be sure."

"I'm getting a sense of deja vu," the prince mused, turning his attention away from the computer screen to the General. "That is the same tactic the Crimson Sakuras pulled here."

"Indeed," Andon said with a nod. "However, what puzzles me is the distance is over three hundred kilometers so I cannot figure out why they would choose to divide their forces to take both of these places."

"Why indeed." Prince Lelouch's eyes took on a thoughtful look. "Arrogance would be one's first guess as it could be that the Liberators are just that arrogant. Perhaps they believe they can defeat anyone who attempts to take back control of the base and don't believe the base needs too much to defend it."

"It's possible," Andon agreed. "However, I do not think they're that arrogant."

"Why not?" The prince raised an eyebrow. "They are nearly undefeated. Out of all of their engagements, they've only lost once. That can produce arrogance, an overconfident feeling that they cannot lose no matter what."

"True." Andon got the prince's point.

"However, the base's location suggests another theory," Prince Lelouch added, his eyes still thoughtful. "As the base is on the coast of Hokkaido and anyone who wishes to travel further onto the island will have to pass through Hakodate since it is the only functioning port city on the island. According to the information you gave me, the other port cities were destroyed during the invasion. That suggests that it's possible that if they've taken control of the military base there then they will be using it as a lookout for enemy reinforcements seeking to take back the island."

Andon thought about the prince's words and realized that his theory was a sound one. "And, thus, they would be able to get warning to the main body of the cell at Sapporo before the reinforcements so much as land on Hokkaido, allowing them time to create a defense or organize an offense."

Prince Lelouch nodded in agreement. "It seems likely. So my mission?"

Andon had decided to give the mission to retake Hokkaido to Prince Lelouch, rather than dealing with it himself, for two reason. The first being he was interested to learn more about the prince and felt him going against a nearly undefeated enemy would give him all the answers that he needed. The second was simply because Prince Schneizel and the Emperor had ordered him to do so, wanting to test the prince. The Emperor had told Andon point blank when they spoke that if it looked as if the prince was about to lose then Andon was to take command, which Andon knew would deal damage to the prince's pride and reputation. He didn't really care for those orders, since he was, by nature, a kind man who wouldn't do something like that, but orders were orders and Prince Schniezel had ordered him to follow along with the Emperor's orders. Andon's loyalty was actually to Schneizel but no one knew that and he was determined to keep it that way.

"Your mission is to defeat the cell of the Liberators and retake Hokkaido," Andon said. "I will be accompanying you as an observer only, unless the situation calls for me to take command of the mission."

The prince's lips thinned, his amethyst eyes narrowed. "I see," he murmured. "In other words, if it looks as though I am about to fail to defeat the Liberators, you will take command, yes?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

The prince hummed in thought, his face impassive. "Very well," he said and stood up. "We will head out right away. It's a long journey to Hokkaido after all."

Andon stood up as well and inclined his head in response.

 **. . .**

Lelouch was a bit apprehensive about his new mission but, considering he was going up against the nearly undefeated Liberators, he figured he had the right to be apprehensive. It was made even worse by the fact that Andon had told him, point blank, if he looked about to fail then Andon would assume command. That would be a huge blow to both Lelouch's pride and the reputation he was attempting to garner.

As it was, Lelouch knew that one victory wasn't enough to garner a reputation, while it did show that he was a capable commander. However, going up against the Liberators was going to be a difficult challenge to overcome and it would either make or break him. Lelouch knew that failure was not an option, not when it came to the Emperor. The Emperor did not tolerate failure.

However, Lelouch couldn't help but wonder why Andon had chosen him, an inexperienced military commander, to go against the Liberators, the biggest, most powerful, nearly undefeated terrorist organization in the world. It was like putting a pawn against a queen without backup. While a pawn could win against a queen, the chances of that happening _before_ the queen took the pawn out was slim.

However, Lelouch knew that it was, nonetheless, possible, at least in chess. In chess, one could win a chess match with just the pawn if one played their moves just right.

The first thing on his agenda was to figure out just how Schneizel had won against the Liberators simply because he was the only one to win against them. After that, he would need to find more information about the Liberators themselves; one must know the enemy if one was to effectively fight against them. Going over the reports of the previous battle would help in that aspect, especially when it came to figuring out why the Liberators were undefeated before their loss to Schneizel.

His mind was already going over possible plans to utilize against the Liberators. One thing he did have in his arsenal that may take them by surprise was the _Lancelot_ ; he made a mental note to speak with Lloyd and see if the _Lancelot_ 's primary weapons had been perfected yet. However, none of the plans he was brainstorming would work until he had more information and that was going to take some time to acquire.

 _Well, as I told Andon, it is a long journey to Hokkaido. That will give me some time to gather as much information as I can,_ Lelouch thought as he walked out of his office with Andon walking behind him.

 **. . .**

 _Meeting Room, Ashford Academy_

Kallen hated having to work with the girl who was responsible for the murder of her brother and it was all she could do to keep her sickly girl facade up, especially when she caught Tara glaring at Nunnally. She couldn't understand how anyone could actually want to kill Nunnally; even if she was a member of the Imperial Family, Nunnally was still an innocent sweetheart. And yet Tara seemed to hate her without even getting to know her; at least Kallen had actually spoken to and gotten to know Nunnally before deciding what she felt about her.

And then there was her older brother Lelouch who had one win against the Crimson Sakuras under his belt, as was broadcast on the news recently. While the Crimson Sakuras were reckless, they weren't stupid and they were a decently sized organization; if Prince Lelouch had been able to defeat them then Kallen knew she was right to keep an eye on him as it meant that he was proving that he was a capable military commander.

"So what do we have to do today, Milly?" Rivalz asked as Milly walked into the room, carrying a series of folders.

"Just finish up some things for the dance in two days," Milly said.

"A dance?" Nunnally echoed.

"Yeah. We thought it might cheer you up since you're still missing Lelouch," Milly explained.

Nunnally smiled. "Oh thank you," she said. "That's very nice of you. Is there going to be a theme like that fairy-tail themed ball?"

"Mm, probably not. The fairy-tail themed ball took a bit too much money to create so it's just going to be a regular party," Milly said with a shrug.

"If we're running low on money, does this mean we're gonna have to worry about the other clubs out to get us?" Rivalz asked worriedly.

"That's the other reason why we're gathered today! We're gonna work on balancing the budget again so that we can ensure that the funds that weren't spent will get equally distributed," Milly said with a grin. "Then we can hold another fundraiser to raise more money."

Kallen shivered at the thought of standing around in that revealing maid outfit again and smiled sadly to herself as she recalled what she thought Naoto's reaction would be if he'd seen. She was sure that Ohgi's reaction would be the same; Ohgi wasn't Naoto but Kallen did see him and the rest of the Kozuki Resistance as family, more so than her father and bitch of a stepmother anyway.

"Oh, a fundraiser sounds like it'd be fun," Tara said.

 _Just wait until you see Milly in perverted She-Devil mode,_ Kallen thought, refusing to warn the bitch of what to expect.

"We did a bake sale a while ago, don't remember how long but it was fun," Nunnally said. "Sayoko finally managed to figure out Big Brother's secret ingredient to his brownies so if we do a bake sale again, she can make Big Brother's brownies. They're _really_ good."

Tara's lips thinned at the sound of Nunnally's voice and Kallen resisted the urge to glare at her. _Seriously? How can you not like someone like Nunnally, royalty or otherwise?_ She thought.

"Another bake sale would be fun," Shirley mused. "But won't you need a bodyguard, Nunna? I mean the last one you had is away with Lulu."

Nunnally frowned to herself. "Well, I can ask Brother Clovis again if he can spare someone," she said thoughtfully. "I'm sure he won't mind."

"It probably won't be until next week sometime," Milly said. "Right now, let's balance the budget and then go back to finishing up the loose ends for the party."

The rest of the Student Council nodded and went to work, though Kallen did smirk inwardly when she saw Tara staring at the information in front of her in puzzlement as if attempting to figure out just what it was she was supposed to do. She didn't even bother on offering help to Tara; perhaps she was being petty but the death of her brother was still a wound that was healing and she definitely still harbored resentment towards Tara.

While they were working on the budget, Nunnally was working on her origami cranes, humming softly to herself. Kallen looked up because the song that Nunnally was humming sounded incredibly familiar; she suddenly remembered where she'd heard it before.

 _Hana._

 _Hana_ was a Japanese folk song that Kallen remembered her mother playing for her and Naoto when they were little on the piano. Naoto would sing that song to her when she was little to help her get to sleep. She couldn't help but wonder how Nunnally knew that song.

Shirley had noticed as well because she glanced at her. "Hey, Nunna, what's that song you're humming?" she asked.

"Oh, am I distracting you?" Nunnally asked.

"No. I'm just curious," Shirley said. "I mean, it doesn't sound familiar."

"It's called _hana._ Um, I think I'm pronouncing that right. It means cherry blossoms, I think. It's an Eleven folk song that Suzaku taught me and Big Brother when we were staying at the Kururugi Shrine. Big Brother would sing it to me every night before I went to bed, very badly at first but he eventually got the hang of it," Nunnally said.

"Do you know the song, Nunnally?" Kallen asked curiously.

"Not as well as Big Brother but I do know part of it," Nunnally said and softly began to sing:

" _Haru no urara no sumida gawa_ _  
_ _Nobori kudari no funabito ga_ _  
_ _Kahi no shizuku mo hana to chiru_ _  
_ _Nagame wo nani ni tatoubeki._ _  
_ _Mizuya akebo no tsuyu abite_ _  
_ _Wareni mono iu sakuragi wo_ _  
_ _Mizuya yuugure te wo nobete_ _  
_ _Ware sashi maneku aoyagi wo._ "*

While many of the pronunciations were off, Kallen couldn't help but smile a little at the familiar beautiful Japanese language. She hadn't heard it ever since Japanese was banned by Britannia following the invasion and everyone was forced to either avoid using that language around Britannians or just learn Britannian. The language itself brought with it many sweet memories of her life with her brother and with her mother and father from before her mother became her maid and her father married the hussy.

"That's all I can remember," Nunnally admitted when she finished. "And I know that I got some of the pronunciations wrong."

"You actually did pretty good, Mistress Nunnally," Sayoko said, startling everyone since no one had heard the maid enter the meeting room.

Nunnally, who had jumped a little, turned and smiled. "Thank you, Sayoko. Big Brother and Suzaku were better, even if Suzaku can't sing to save his life," she said and giggled as if remembering something that had happened six years ago.

"It's such a pretty language," Shirley said softly. "I kinda feel bad that Britannia banned it now that I've actually heard it since it's so pretty."

 _Britannia took everything from Japan, our heritage, our culture, our very name, so they probably thought that they might as well take our language from us too,_ Kallen thought bitterly, tightening her grip on her pencil but she managed to calm herself before she snapped it in half.

"Did you need something, Sayoko?" Nunnally asked.

"Yes," Sayoko said and held out the phone. "It's your brother."

"Really? This is the first time he's called me," Nunnally mused. "He must've had a break or something."

"Oh, oh, put it on speaker," Milly said eagerly.

"Does this mean a break from working on the budget?" Rivalz asked hopefully.

"Yup."

"Yes!"

"Nina, come over and join us in saying hi to Lelouch," Milly called.

Nina was, as usual, sequestered away with her computer and she had been so quiet that Kallen hadn't really paid much attention to her. She looked up. "Um, okay," she said, pushing her glasses up and putting the computer on sleep mode before walking over to the table while Sayoko pressed the speaker button and put the phone on the table.

"Hey Big Brother," Nunnally said.

" _Hello Nunnally,_ " Lelouch's voice sounded on the other end, genuine warmth in his voice.

"Okay, everyone, all at once! Hi Lelouch!" Milly shouted and Rivalz and Shirley, apparently deciding that they may as well, joined in.

There was a moment of silence, then: " _Ow. Congrats, Milly._ _If_ _I go deaf, I know who to blame. No, Jeremiah, it was just my friends,_ " Lelouch said.

Nunnally beamed. "Tell Jer I say hi," she said.

" _Nunnally says hi...Jer,_ " Lelouch said and snickered and Kallen could hear grumbling in the background.

" _Hey, Lelouch! Who're you talking too?_ " A voice in which Kallen could detect a Japanese accent shouted.

" _You have no need to shout, Tadashi. I'm not even five feet away from you,_ " Lelouch said dryly. " _If you must know, I'm talking to my sister._ "

" _Can I say hi to your cute sister?_ " Tadashi's voice asked and then exclaimed, " _It's a compliment! Quite trying to kill me with your eyes!_ "

Nunnally laughed. "Big Brother, stop trying to set your friend on fire with your eyes for complimenting me," she chided around her laughter.

"Why would he do that?" Tara asked confused.

"You don't know this 'cause you're new, Tara," Rivalz said to the aqua-haired girl. "But Lelouch is _extremely_ overprotective of Nunnally to the point that he doesn't even let very many people _breathe_ around her."

" _You're over-exaggerating, Rivalz,_ " Lelouch said.

"Not by much."

A hopeful look crossed Nunnally's face. "Do you know when you're going to be back?" she asked.

" _Unfortunately, no. We're heading toward Hokkaido right now, which is really the only reason why I was able to call today, and I don't know how long we'll be there,_ " Lelouch admitted. " _But I'll be sure to call, at least, and check up on you when I can, okay?_ "

"Okay," Nunnally said. "I mean, I should've expected this since you're in the military and all but...I guess I haven't gotten used to it. At least you have Suzaku with you and I have the Student Council with me."

"By the way, before I forget, we got a new Student Council member," Milly said.

" _So you dragged in yet another poor soul to be your newest minion, I see. Are you planning on recruiting every single new student that walks through the doors?_ " Lelouch asked.

"Probably. Her name's Tara. Tara, Lelouch, Lelouch, Tara," Milly said.

" _Nice to meet you, Tara,_ " Lelouch said.

"You too, uh, Your Highness," Tara said, though her voice sounded strained but if Lelouch noticed, he didn't comment.

" _Your Highness, General Andon wishes to speak with you,_ " Gottwald's voice said and Kallen stiffened at the mention of the man who had shot and killed her brother.

" _Wonder why he would want to speak to me after our meeting this morning. I'll be right there. I have to go, Nunnally. I will call you later, perhaps when we reach Hokkaido,_ " Lelouch said.

"Okay, Big Brother. Tell Suzaku I say hi. Bye Big Brother, I love you," Nunnally said.

" _I will. Goodbye, Nunnally. I love you too, Little Sister,_ " Lelouch said and hung up.

Sayoko took the phone back and tucked it away.

"Well, that was a nice little break. Now back to work," Milly said.

Rivalz groaned but everyone went back to work while Nunnally began working on her origami cranes again. Kallen, managing to quench her anger towards General Andon, also went back to her own work.

 **. . .**

 _July 15, 2016_

 _Medical Transport, En Route to Hokkaido_

Lelouch had decided to set out Friday morning but hadn't yet told anyone what they were doing. Suzaku only knew that they were heading towards the northernmost island in Japan, Hokkaido, but nothing beyond that. He knew that Tadashi didn't seem to thrilled about going to Hokkaido though.

"I just have bad memories associated with that place," Tadashi admitted, relaxing in the chair as the medical transport trailed after the G1. Suzaku hadn't been medically cleared to leave yet and Tadashi had decided to stick around with Lila to keep him company. At least, that was what he said; Suzaku had the odd feeling that he was just there because _Lila_ was there.

"I lost my mother in Sapporo," Tadashi went on, sadness in his voice and his eyes taking on a faraway look. "She was killed by terrorists. I guess...that was one of the reasons why I joined the military, that and I wanted to be like the Britannian soldiers who saved mine and my little brother's lives."

"I'm sorry about your loss," Lila said.

Tadashi glanced at her and gave her a small smile. "Ah, don't worry about it. Mom wouldn't have wanted me to grieve and I've pretty much gotten over it," he said.

 _Unlike me,_ Suzaku thought but then he figured the only reason he hadn't gotten over his father's death was because _he_ had been the one to cause it so it wasn't just grief he was feeling, it was also guilt.

"Does anyone know what's going on at Hokkaido?" Tadashi asked curiously, leaning back against the medical chair he'd claimed for himself while Lila was busy organizing the cabinets above the sink. While she wasn't part of the medical team, it seemed that the head field medic was more than willing to let her help out.

"Nope. Lelouch will probably tell us when we get there," Lila said, shifting aside a bottle of rubbing alcohol to make more room for the rolls of bandages that rested on the sink's counter.

"Mm, probably," Tadashi said and stood up, stretching and yawning. "It's gonna be a long journey though, several hours at least. I'm gonna head back to my transport. Give ya some more room to work and all that. See ya, Lila, Suzaku." Without another word, Tadashi left the medical transport; since they were traveling at a slow pace, people were able to move between the transports easily. This was done to ensure that any messages from the various convoys following the G1 could be delivered to the personnel, and the prince himself, on the G1 without much delay.

The 11th Regiment was a bit smaller than when they'd set out from Tokyo due to those who were critically injured during the battles at the military base and the settlement of Osaka; those men were on medical leave at the hospital in Osaka while those who were still capable of fighting came with the regiment on its journey to Hokkaido. However, the situation at Hokkaido must not be that dire if they were moving at a casual pace rather than rushing to get there. At least, that was what Suzaku thought or it could be part of Lelouch's plan. It was difficult to tell what the prince was thinking; even though he knew Lelouch better than everyone else in the 11th Regiment, Suzaku was still unable to figure out what he was thinking or why he did what he did most of the time.

Like when he chose Suzaku to be his Knight of Honor.

Even though a day had gone by since Suzaku had agreed to be Lelouch's Knight, he was still attempting to wrap his mind around his friend's decision, and especially the repercussions such a decision would have on the prince. He sighed and leaned back against the wall, deciding to try not to think about it since he'd already agreed to be Lelouch's Knight and he couldn't take it back now.

Not that he wanted to since it was what he wanted; the rank, status, and power one needed in order to change things was what he was being given by agreeing to become Lelouch's Knight of Honor after all.

But it was actually more than that. He wanted to be Lelouch's Knight because he wanted to keep Lelouch safe and protect him. He'd done the same thing during the invasion, always putting himself in harm's way just to keep his friend safe, such was when he put himself between Lelouch and Hozumi Murkami or when he refused to leave Lelouch behind when the latter had ended up with a sprained ankle and had told him to leave with Nunnally. He'd always protected Lelouch during the invasion and Lelouch obviously trusted him enough to allow him to continue protecting him.

"You okay, Suzaku?" Lila asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"I'm fine," Suzaku assured her. "Just thinking."

"Mm. How do you feel? Any pain?" Lila asked, walking over to sit down on a chair next to Suzaku's medical bed.

"A little every now and then but nothing severe," Suzaku said.

Lila nodded and stood up, stretching out a hand and gently removing the bandages around Suzaku's chest. "You're just going to have to take it easy for a while to ensure that the injury doesn't reopen; my advice is to avoid knightmare piloting for a few days at least," she said as she disposed of the bandages and then replaced them with a new roll.

"Okay," Suzaku said as Lila finished winding the bandages around his chest.

 **. . .**

 _G1 Base, En Route to Hokkaido_

 _At least it's not raining,_ Rayne thought, gazing out the window at the landscape that drifted slowly past. It felt like it was taking forever but then Rayne has never been very patient and, while she was enjoying the break from battle after two battles practically back to back, she would honestly rather be in battle than dealing with a certain elder sister of hers.

"C'mon, Rayne. We should really talk," Gretchen insisted.

"I don't wanna talk to you, bitch. Leave me alone," Rayne said, not even bothering on taking her gaze away from the window. Gretchen had approached her earlier, deciding that she wanted to "clear the air" between them—her words, not Rayne's—and didn't seem to be taking no for an answer. It reminded Rayne of one of the reasons why she found Gretchen so irritating when they were growing up; she was incredibly persistent when she wanted to be and it was driving her crazy, especially in light of everything that had happened.

More importantly, Lelouch had already told them that personal family issues had no place in the military. Rayne would've thought that her bitch of a sister would know that and act more professional rather than continue to ignore Rayne's wishes and leave her alone. Obviously, she thought wrong.

"I'm sorry, Rayne. Is that what you want to hear? Yes, I wasn't there for you when I should've been and I'm sorry that I wasn't," Gretchen said and, while she sounded sincere, her words only served to anger Rayne even more.

"You think a simple _apology_ is going to fix this?" Rayne snapped, turning to glare at her elder sister. "Newsflash. It won't! Now leave me alone." Brushing past her elder sister, Rayne stalked away and went off to find her brother. Though she and Kay were part of Lelouch's newly formed Royal Guard, he had told them that they were free to rest during the journey. Lila was using her resting time to help out in the medical transport while Rayne and Kay were resting on the G1, Dimitri was on the bridge, still hard at work, Jeremiah was also on the bridge with the prince, and Tadashi was with Lila.

Rayne wondered if Tadashi might have a slight crush on Lila since he was spending so much time in the medical transport with her but pushed the thought away.

She found her brother with the rest of the 23rd Knightmare Squadron in the lounge; a few of them were talking with each other, some were reading, and others were simply eating. She meandered her way through the crowd and sat down beside her brother. He barely glanced up at her, his pen scratching on the piece of paper he was writing on.

"Who're you writing too?" Rayne asked.

"No one," Kay said without taking his eyes off the paper.

Rayne scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I can _see_ you writing to someone," she said.

"No one you care about," Kay amended his statement, scratching out a few more words before signing the letter and putting his pen down. He then folded the letter up before Rayne could see who it was for and tucked it into an envelope that he kept face down so that she wouldn't see the address written on it.

She huffed. "I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other," she said.

"We don't but you've clearly made your feelings towards Matthias clear," Kay said, licking the fold and closing the envelope.

Rayne scowled. "Why would you write to him after everything he's done?" she demanded.

"I've thought about it and, no matter how much he, Gretchen, and Parker have hurt me, I've decided to give them another chance," Kay said simply. "They are our family after all."

Rayne snorted. She didn't see them as her family. "Whatever," she said and stretched her legs out in front of her, crossing her arms behind her head as she relaxed in the couch she was seated on.

She would probably always resent her parents and her siblings, except Kay, for how they treated her but then could anyone really blame her? And her siblings suddenly wanting to mend their relationship when they did nothing while she and Kay were growing up? She snorted. _Yeah, what relationship is there to mend?_ She thought bitterly.

She had four siblings and yet Kay was the only one that she was really close to, not just because he was her twin but because he knew just as well as she did of just how little their parents cared about them. Not only that but he'd been with her through everything since they ran away from their home and came to Area 11. Out of all of her siblings, Kay was the only one that Rayne actually saw as her brother.

"I wonder how Lila, Tadashi, Suzaku, and Dimitri are doing," she said out loud.

"Who knows?" Kay said.

 **. . .**

 _Bridge, G1 Base, En Route to Hokkaido_

Jeremiah watched his prince out of the corner of his eye. Since he was both the captain of Prince Lelouch's Royal Guard as well as a senior officer who was outranked only by General Andon, he remained on the bridge. He was there mostly because a royal's Royal Guard almost always remained with them, granted there were enough people on the bridge to protect the prince that more people wasn't necessary at the moment, but also to give advice to the inexperienced prince. While Prince Lelouch did have a win under his belt, he still didn't have nearly as much experience as Jeremiah and General Andon did and Andon wasn't providing his own advice unless asked, stating that he was simply there as an observer.

Prince Lelouch was currently resting his chin on the palm of his hand, looking bored as he scanned through the stack of reports that rested on his lap, his eyes narrowed in puzzlement. He'd been looking through those reports since they left Osaka and that puzzlement had been present for a while.

"Something isn't right with these reports," he murmured. "They seem to be missing something."

"Why do you say that, Your Highness?" Jeremiah asked.

"Nowhere in these reports does anyone discuss just _how_ they lost to the Liberators," the prince explained. "It would be an important piece of information that should have helped later battles but every report, except my brother Schneizel's, doesn't include that piece of information. Why would Schneizel include that information and yet the others would not?"

Jeremiah thought about it and realized that the prince did have a good point. When one did a report following a battle, they were required to include any and all information about it. It was standard military procedure. "For someone who's well versed in military procedures, like Princess Cornelia, this should not have happened," he said.

"Exactly," Prince Lelouch said with a nod. "The reports must have been altered before they were submitted to the archive."

Jeremiah's brow furrowed. "How is that possible?"

"Either the reports were altered before they were submitted or they were intercepted, altered, and then submitted by a third party," Prince Lelouch said and turned to where the olive-green haired form of Dimitri Duncan was seated. "Major Duncan?"

"Yes, Your Highness?" Duncan asked, lifting his head from his computer screen.

"Is it possible to retrieve previous versions of these reports from before they were cataloged in the Imperial Military Archive?" the prince asked.

Duncan's brow furrowed in thought. "Possibly, if I can retrieve the IP address of the computers from which they were submitted, there may be an older version of those reports saved on the hard drive of those computers. However, it won't be easy to track them all down," he said.

The prince hummed in thought. "See what you can do, Major," he said.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Jeremiah had to admit that the prince had a good idea. If the older versions of those reports had the information that the prince insisted was missing from the ones submitted to the archive than that meant that, somehow, someone was intercepting these reports and altering them. That would mean that there was a breach in security, though how no one had caught it baffled him.

"If these reports were intercepted, how is it that no one's discovered the security breach, especially if it's been going on since the Liberators made their first move?" Jeremiah asked.

"I don't know. Perhaps no one knew what to look for or even bothered on looking for something," Prince Lelouch said thoughtfully.

"Perhaps."

The prince cast a sidelong glance at the green-haired elder gentleman standing at his side. "What do you think about any of this, General Andon?" he asked.

Andon appeared thoughtful. "I have to agree with you, Your Highness. Those reports have been tampered with, since it is procedure to include as much detail as possible about each engagement in those reports," he said. He turned to study the prince who had relaxed back into his bored posture, his chin resting on his palm while his gaze returned to the hard copies on his lap. "If I may, Your Highness, why are you so interested in what is missing from these reports?"

"The Liberators have been undefeated from when they first made their appearance back in 2006 until my brother defeated them in Cambodia and I want to know _how_ and _why_ ," Prince Lelouch said before he sifted through his papers and pulled out two reports. "For instance, my brothers Castor and Pollux went against the Liberators _twice_ and yet were still defeated the second time, despite supposedly knowing what the Liberators were capable of from their previous engagement. According to these reports, they had learned from their mistakes the second time around, able to counteract the offensive counterstrike the Liberators had launched against them and yet they still lost. No one knows how, however."

"Point taken," Andon said with a nod, turning his gaze to the large bay windows of the bridge.

Jeremiah had to admit he hadn't thought of it that way. But then he'd never gone against the Liberators. He'd known that the Liberators had a cell in Area 11 but they hadn't made any moves until they succeeded in taking control of Hokkaido. It was a bold move, taking control of one of the largest islands of Area 11 and doing so when no one was expecting it. Taking Hokkaido was a strong move for the Liberators though; Hokkaido was the home of the majority of Area 11's knightmare frame factories, one at Hakodate and the largest one in all of Area 11 on the outskirts of Sapporo.

Jeremiah studied his prince again, wondering just how well the prince would handle going against the nearly undefeated Liberators. It was going to be a great challenge, Jeremiah was sure Prince Lelouch knew that, and yet he seemed unfazed by the challenge that he would be facing.

 _Is he confident that he can win against the Liberators or is he just not letting the challenge he's faced with get to him?_

Jeremiah found that it was downright impossible to figure out just what his prince was thinking.

 **. . .**

 _Aomori, Area 11_

Lelouch scanned the ocean in front of him and the landmass that lay beyond. According to the map, it was a good four and a half hour journey to Hakodate and that was if one took the ferry. However, there was also an underwater tunnel that would take them there as well but Lelouch was sure that both ways were going to be watched just as the train would be. He might have to make his own path to Hokkaido in order to take Hakodate by surprise.

He felt that would be the best way to take the military base back. If his theory was correct then the Liberators had chosen Hakodate in order to get warning to the main force at Sapporo that the Britannians were attempting to take back the island. However, with only a third of the Liberators main force protecting the military base, one would think it would be simple to take it back.

Lelouch was not like that.

The Liberators weren't stupid. They wouldn't have won so many times against Britannia if they were stupid and luck could only take one so far. The Liberators hadn't won their fights against Britannia through luck; they had won through skill and Lelouch believed that the missing portions of the reports had the information he would need to figure out the Liberators' strategy.

According to the reports, the Liberators engaged the Britannians first and foremost using an unprecedented attack that no one would consider as connected with them, though Schneizel had made the connection. Then they would unleash a series of guerrilla attacks against their enemy before retreating, possibly to regroup or lull the Britannians into a false sense of security. However, that was when the information on most of the reports, except Schneizel's, ended; Schneizel's report stated that the Liberators than launched an attack on him and his forces in the middle of the night, while they assumed Schneizel and his men were at their weakest, but Schneizel unleashed a trap that devastated their forces and then launched a full-scale assault on those who escaped the trap.

Lelouch pressed his lips together. In the previous reports of Britannians launching an attack on a cell of the Liberators, things had, pretty much, gone the same way later, though the Liberators had retreated pretty quickly but then organized themselves to where they were able to utilize guerrilla attacks. None of the reports said what happened after the Liberators retreated after the those guerrilla attacks; Lelouch was missing something, something important and the missing portion of those reports was the clue he needed to figure out just what he was missing. He was sure of it.

However, in terms of what had happened on Hokkaido, more importantly, how the Liberators had divided their forces and sent a third to Hakodate, Lelouch was sure that they wouldn't have done that if they didn't think they could fight off an attack. Or, at the very least, stall long enough for word to reach Sapporo. According to the research Lelouch had done on the way to Aomori, he knew that the Liberators weren't the kind of people who threw away lives for no reason.

"We need to get to Hakodate, preferably without the Liberators knowing we're coming," Lelouch said, turning to Jeremiah who stood at his side. The rest of his Royal Guard were gathered around him but the rest of the 11th Regiment were resting on and around the convoy of vehicles nearby. The only other person with Lelouch was General Andon but he was silently watching. "However, it is likely that they're going to be watching the tunnel and the ocean itself for chances that we'd enter through the underwater tunnel or use the ferry."

"Is there another way to Hakodate?" Jeremiah asked.

Lelouch pressed his lips together and shook his head. "Not that I know of," he said.

"Your Highness?" Dimitri said.

Lelouch turned, noting the olive-green haired man was holding a laptop in his hands as he joined the prince. "Yes?" he said.

"I've managed to hack remotely into the security systems within the underwater tunnel," Dimitri said and turned the laptop around so that Lelouch could see the tunnel. His brow furrowed in confusion when he noticed that, in every screen that was shown, the tunnel was empty. He knew that the train that had run between the mainland and Hokkaido had been discontinued following Britannia's invasion, though no one had thought to take down the security cameras, but he was surprised that there weren't any Liberators stationed there.

"Can you determine whether the Liberators are watching the tunnel on their end?" Lelouch asked.

"I may be able to see if the surveillance system is active on their end. Give me a few minutes," Dmitri said and went to work. A few minutes later, he looked up and shook his head. "From the looks of it, I'm the only one who's accessed the surveillance cameras in that tunnel since the train was discontinued."

"Why wouldn't the Liberators keep an eye on it?" Lelouch murmured.

"Do they even know it's there?" Rayne asked curiously, having come to Lelouch's side. Jeremiah started in surprise, since he hadn't noticed Rayne's arrival, but Lelouch didn't move a muscle. "I mean, how long has the tunnel been abandoned?"

"Since the end of the Second Pacific War," Lelouch said, pursing his lips. "It's possible that they don't know about the underwater tunnel. Margrave, how long has the cell of the Liberators been in Area 11?"

Jeremiah frowned. "I am not entirely sure but they weren't here when I was first transferred to Area 11, Your Highness, so it'd have to be at least four, possibly five years," he said.

"The fact that they aren't guarding the tunnel suggests two possibilities; either they don't know that the tunnels exist or there is a trap laid out in the tunnel itself to prevent our approach or stall us long enough for them to get a message to Sapporo," Lelouch said thoughtfully, pressing his lips together as he thought about what to do.

"Figuring out if there's a trap may alert the Liberators to our impending attack, if there is on; however, if there isn't one then we may have found our way to Hakodate without the Liberators noticing," the prince added thoughtfully and turned to Jeremiah. "Jeremiah, find Lieutenant Stonewell. I have a mission for her."

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah stated and hurried off to find the aforementioned scout.

"Major, have you managed to find the documents that I asked you to find?" Lelouch asked, returning his attention to Dimitri as he closed his laptop and tucked it under his arm.

"I haven't found all of them, Your Highness, but I've managed to obtain the recent ones that start at about three years ago, which totals about fourteen engagements," Dimitri said.

"Damn, they sure were busy the last three years," Tadashi said in surprise.

"They have many cells. Dimitri, send those documents to my computer but make some hard copies as well," Lelouch ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness," Dimitri said and walked off to get the matter done.

Jeremiah returned with Rachel Stonewell walking behind him.

"You wished to see me, Your Highness?" Stonewell asked.

"Yes. I have something I need you to do," Lelouch said, facing the scout. "The old underwater railway tunnel that connects Hokkaido with the main island, I need you to enter it and check it for traps. They will be expecting a large convoy, not a single person if there is, indeed, a trap."

"Understood, Your Highness," Stonewell said, crossing her fist over her heart before she darted off to get to work.

"Until Stonewell returns, we'll remain here," Lelouch added and walked toward the G1 Base, intent on looking though the documents that Dimitri had found for him.

 **. . .**

 ***** I copied this directly from a website so the Japanese words may be wrong but I did my best and I don't own this song. This folk song is an actual song (I listened to it while I was writing that part) and I think you'll be able to find it on YouTube. Just type in 'hana Japanese folk song' and click on the first link that pops up. That's the one I listened to anyway. It's actually pretty nice.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: filler chapter though this may be, it does have important information and it's a nice transition into the Sapporo mini arc within this arc**

 **Bakura: yeah, yeah, when's the action gonna start?**

 **Blaze: soon, soon. Patience**

 **Suzaku: I doubt Bakura even knows what that word means**

 **Ryou: agreed**

 **Bakura: shut up, brat, host**

 **Suzaku: by the way, Blaze, do you have any idea where Lelouch and Allen are?**

 **Blaze: (thinks) I think Allen said something about getting something to eat in the city closet with Lenalee and Lelouch…well...I think he might be the reason why the mob of Suzaku fans came to me asking if I'd seen Eclipse anywhere**

 **Suzaku: why do I have this feeling Lelouch is setting Eclipse on the Emperor right now?**

— **In Pendragon—**

 **Charles: YOU SET THE IMPERIAL PALACE ON FIRE?**

 **Lelouch: (seated on top of Eclipse the Dragon) shame. I thought for sure you were in there. Oh well. Eclipse, be a dear and set that bastard on fire**

 **Eclipse: (nods and proceeds to set Charles on fire)**

— **Back in Blaze's Computer Room—**

 **Blaze: I wouldn't be surprised if he was. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, even if it was a filler, and I will try to update again before March ends but I make no promises. As usual, reviews are much appreciated.**


	22. The City of Hakodate

**Well, looks like I kept to my deadline. One more update in the month of March.**

 **Bakura: whoopie**

 **Shut up. Anyway, the next chapter will come out sometime in April. I plan on trying to get the rough draft of this entire story (which, from where I am in the story, is another twenty three chapters that are averaging eighteen to twenty pages single-spaced per chapter) done by the end of May. Wish me luck!**

 **Bakura: it's never gonna happen**

 **Nunnally: GOOD LUCK!**

 **Thank you, Nunnally. (Glares at Bakura) At least** _ **someone's**_ **being supportive. Anyway, thank you to** _ **TC9078, harlequin320, DarthMaine, Shadow-Shinobi666, OBSERVER01, DYnoJackal19, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Blacksword Zero, Shimmering-Sky, Doommajor, Scarease,**_ **and** _ **B-Kira**_ **for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome!**

 **Also, congrats to** _ **B-Kira**_ **for being my 300** **th** **reviewer!**

 **Anyway, this chapter is long, has the long, dreaded scene of Tara's plan coming to fruition—well, not really. Like I'd ever truly kill off Nunnally—and a very brief battle. This chapter really wasn't meant to be focused on a battle, and it's more of a skirmish than anything.**

 **Bakura: GET ON WITH IT, MORON!**

 **Fine! I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _August 10, 2012_

 _Saitama Ghetto, Area 11_

 _The situation at the Saitama Ghetto was proving to be a rather easy mission to complete. The terrorists had either gone to ground as soon as they'd noticed that the 11_ _th_ _Regiment was there or had finished what they'd set out to do. Villetta Nu didn't know which one it was but it made traveling through the Saitama Ghetto in her knightmare frame seem like a walk down the street, in a knightmare._

 _Scanning the area, the young silver-haired Britannian noticed that there wasn't anyone nearby, neither civilian nor terrorist. Keying on her radio, she said, "Sir, there is no one in section 2," she said._

 _"_ Keep an eye out, Lieutenant Nu, _" Stromberg said. "_ Section 2 was where Lieutenant Colonel Gottwald said the terrorists were heading. They're likely there and are simply hiding. Retreat and regroup with Major Soresi _."_

 _"Yes, sir," Villetta said and turned her knightmare around and started to head back the way she'd come. It was a good thing she had; otherwise, she would have been hit by the missile that had struck where she'd been standing only moments before. While she hadn't been hit by the missile itself, the debris that was sent flying as well as the shockwave struck her._

 _She gritted her teeth and quickly turned her knightmare around, pulling out her rifle as an old tank rolled into the open and began firing at her. She quickly dodged out of the way and fired a Slash Harken at the tank before peppering it with gunfire from her rifle._

 _"_ Lieutenant Nu, what's happened? _" Soresi's voice called over the radio as Villetta quickly glided on her landspinners out of the way to avoid another series of gunfire from the tank._

 _"An ambush, Major. It's only one tank but there's also someone with a missile launcher somewhere in the vicinity," Villetta said swiftly as she quickly darted out of the way to avoid the missile she spotted flying toward her on her knightmare's screens. The tank was in front of her, still firing at her but the missiles seemed to be coming from the right._

 _"_ Hold on, Lieutenant. Lieutenant Colonel Gottwald and I are on our way, _" Soresi said firmly._

 _"The missiles are coming in from the east, Major," Villetta said as she guided her_ Glasgow _into the alley to avoid another burst of gunfire from the tank and burst out onto a street that ran parallel with the one she was on just in time to avoid another missile._

 _She whirled around and swore when she noticed that two more tanks were on the street she'd just entered and went to contact Soresi but quickly had to push doing that off when both tanks opened fire on her. She danced out of the way and fired her Slash Harkens at the first tank, sinking them into the area beneath the cannon._

 _The tank glided backwards and Villetta quickly removed her Slash Harken and glided swiftly to the side to avoid another hail of gunfire, only to get struck in her knightmare's side by gunfire from the second tank._

 _"_ Villetta! Move west now! _" A voice shouted over the radio and Villetta quickly did as Kewell told her and glided backwards, breathing a sigh of relief as she realized why Kewell had told her to move. The missile that had just obliterated a large portion of the street would have hit her directly if she hadn't moved._

 _She saw that Kewell and Jeremiah had joined her and smiled. "Thank you, Kewell," she said._

 _"_ Anytime, Villetta, _" Kewell replied. "_ Now why don't we take out these damn terrorists and go home? _"_

 _"_ You buying the drinks, Kewell? _" Jeremiah asked._

 _Kewell laughed. "_ It's your turn to buy the drinks, Jeremiah, _" he said._

 _Villetta rolled her eyes._ Boys _, she thought fondly at her two friends. "Guys, I'll buy the drinks since you saved my life here but first, let's win this battle," she said._

 _"_ Okay, _" Jeremiah said._

 _"_ Let's take out these Eleven bastards, _" Kewell said and, side by side, the three knightmares launched themselves at the two tanks on the street._

 **. . .**

 **22**

 **The City of Hakodate**

 _July 15, 2016_

 _Lelouch's Office, G1 Base, Aomori_

Lelouch sorted through the reports that Dimitri had managed to get for him, studying the last section in which the outcome of the engagement, how the Britannians lost to the Liberators, was written. He was sorting them because, after reading the first three, he noticed that the outcome of the third was almost identical to the outcome of the first in terms of how the Liberators won.

Three hours had gone by since Lelouch had started doing that and he currently had seven stacks of two reports each, while one had three, each one organized according to the outcome. _The way the Liberators won their engagements seems almost repetitive,_ he thought. According to the fourteen reports Dimitri had managed to get him as well as Schneizel's report, the Liberators had used only _seven_ different ways to defeat Britannia and repeated their strategies at least once.

But why?

Lelouch's brow furrowed in thought but, before he could think more on it, there was a knock on his door. Lifting his head from the reports, he called, "Come in," and watched as Jeremiah made his way into the office. Lila and Dimitri were standing guard outside, though Lelouch had told his Royal Guard to go ahead and get some fresh air and rest earlier. Jeremiah had stayed with him for a while before finally leaving to get some rest himself. "Jeremiah, what can I do for you?"

"I came to see how you were doing, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

"I'm fine, just...puzzled," Lelouch said, studying the reports again with a frown as he sorted through them, looking for something that would suggest just what the Liberators' strategy was. Why would they use seven different ways—at least, that was how many different strategies Lelouch had managed to determine from the reports Dimitri had managed to get him—to defeat Britannia?

And why would someone go out of their way to ensure that this information wasn't included in the official reports that were submitted to the Archive?

Lelouch figured that they must have a talented hacker on their end in order to get that done but he just didn't see the point. With how they seem to cycle through seven different ways to defeat Britannia and didn't seem to use any other strategies but these seven, it seemed pointless to actually have someone alter the official reports.

 _Cycle…_

Lelouch quickly went through the reports again, picking up the earliest report and beginning to organize them in order from the earliest time the Liberators engaged Britannian forces—in accordance with the reports Dimitri managed to get him—to their most recent engagement against Schneizel. Once he rearranged the reports, he looked through them and immediately noticed it.

"It's a cycle," he whispered and a small smile crawled across his face. "Clever."

"What do you mean, Your Highness?" Jeremiah asked in confusion.

Lelouch gestured for the captain of his Royal Guard and his second in command to join him. Jeremiah walked over to stand beside him. Lelouch then gestured to the reports. "Look at just how the Liberators won the first seven engagements in order," he said.

Jeremiah peered at the reports, his brow furrowed in confusion. "They're all different," he said. "They used a different strategy to win each time."

"Exactly. Now look at how the Liberators won the eighth engagement."

Jeremiah looked and his eyes widened.

"Noticed it, didn't you?" Lelouch said, leaning back slightly, a low laugh escaping his lips. "Very clever. By using such a strategy, they're constantly keeping everyone guessing what they're going to do once they retreat. They never retreat just to retreat, they're always planning one final attack and, due to the use of so many different ways, no one knows what that attack will be. However, if you look at the eighth engagement to the fourteenth, you'll notice that it's an exact repeat of the first seven engagements. And Schneizel's battle with the Liberators was the twenty-first engagement against the Liberators since they arrived and they used the same strategy that they used in their seventh engagement and in their fourteenth engagement. It's a cycle that they repeat after seven engagements."

"Why seven though?" Jeremiah asked.

Lelouch shrugged. "They liked the number, it's a lucky number, some people believe that the number seven is the number of completeness, who knows really," he said. "However, if my theory is correct then when we launch our attack on Sapporo, it is very likely that they will fall back on their first strategy. However, we will be ready for them when they do."

"How sure are you that they will continue this cycle after losing to Prince Schneizel?" Jeremiah asked.

Lelouch turned his amethyst gaze to the turquoise-haired young man. "That's why they had someone hack into the database to alter the reports before they were archived. That was to ensure that no one could connect the dots and figure out their cycle strategy," he said. "I probably wouldn't have had I not noticed the missing information in those reports. Whoever altered them did a good job of making it seem as if the reports were complete and only someone who was actually paying attention would notice the missing portions."

"In other words, they're arrogant enough to believe that no one will figure out their cycle and Prince Schneizel figuring out their plan at Cambodia was just a coincidence," Jeremiah said.

"Possibly. They're quite clever though but, still, the chances of them altering their strategy, when it has worked for them for twenty engagements, is slim," Lelouch admitted. "But we'll worry about Sapporo when we get to it. For now, we need to take back the military base at Hakodate. Has Stonewell reported back yet?"

"Not yet, Your Highness. Major Nu will contact me when Lieutenant Stonewell contacts her," Jeremiah said.

Lelouch nodded before returning his attention to the reports, picking up the first and the eighth report and scanned the similarities between them.

 **. . .**

 _Railway Tunnel, Between Aomori and Hokkaido_

Pressing her back against the dark wall and edging her way down the abandoned railway tunnel were flickering lights and her own flashlight were her own source of light, Stonewell pressed her lips together as she scanned the area. Nothing seemed out of place; the tracks were still where they'd been placed. There were no trains since the train line had been discontinued following Britannia's invasion and nothing seemed disturbed but she wasn't stupid.

Making her way deeper down the tunnel, Stonewell knew that she didn't have to worry about the security cameras. The main control for the security cameras was in Aomori and Major Duncan had said that he'd be monitoring them to ensure that no one saw her there. So far, no one was there and Stonewell was able to make her way deeper into the railway tunnel beneath the waters.

She was a bit surprised that they weren't any booby traps. _Did the Liberators not know about the existence of this tunnel?_ She thought, pressing her lips together in thought as she studied the railway tracks. The ground didn't seem to be disturbed and neither did the tracks.

Cautiously, she edged forward, kneeling down and peering at the ground but she couldn't see anything. She crept forward along the edge, noticing a ladder that led to a hatch that she figured was for maintenance. She peered up and her eyes narrowed when she spotted something resting against the hatch.

Gripping the rungs of the ladder, she scurried up them and she frowned when she noticed the odd black device that was attached to the hatch. Turning on the communicator around her ear, she said, "Stonewell to base, I've found something."

" _What have you found, Lieutenant Stonewell, over,_ " Major Nu's voice said on the other end.

"Some sort of box device attached to the maintenance hatch. It could be a bomb of sorts but I'm not sure," Stonewell said.

" _Can you get a picture of it? I'll send it over to the analysts to see if they can figure out what it is,_ " Nu suggested.

"Yes, ma'am," Stonewell said and she pulled out the camera phone that she brought in case she needed to get pictures and send them to base quickly. Using it, she snapped a picture of the black box and everything around it, making sure the flash was on so that more details could be made out, and sent it to Major Nu's phone. She tucked her phone away; text and picture messages were less likely to be intercepted than regular phone calls since it was much more difficult to intercept texts and picture messages with the encrypted memory cards that the Department of Intelligence had created years ago.

" _I've received it. Remain where you are until we find out just what this is,_ " Nu said.

"Understood," Stonewell said and waited for the analyst to figure out what these black boxes were. She didn't know how they would do it since there didn't seem to be many distinguishing marks on it that could identify it. At least none that she could see.

She moved closer to it, frowning at the box, noticing there was a latch on the end facing the hatch. She pressed her lips together but she had never been very good at waiting. Praying that it wouldn't explode in her face if it was a bomb, Stonewell reached for the latch and gently undid it. The lid of the black box popped open and Stonewell swore when she saw just what was in it.

It was a bomb, all right, but Stonewell, due to her boyfriend who knew so much about demolitions and explosives, knew what it was: a Sakuradite bomb.

Jumping down from the ladder, Stonewell darted toward the next ladder she could see and scurried up it, checking the box to see that there was a Sakuradite bomb in there as well. She went to each maintenance hatch and saw that each had a Sakuradite bomb within them as well.

"If those all blew, not only would it take out whatever is in this railway tunnel but it would also cause the entire tunnel to be flooded but what will trigger it? Duncan said that no one was watching the tunnel so it couldn't be a remote detonator like at Osaka. Could it be possible there's a trip wire or something like that that will set them off," Stonewell murmured to herself as she darted back the way she had come, peering at the tracks since that seemed the likely place for the trip wire or whatever would cause those bombs to detonate.

Biting her lip, Stonewell jumped down onto the tracks themselves. She doubted that they were expecting a single person to enter the railway tunnel; they were probably expecting a large convoy so they wouldn't have made the trigger go off with a single person on it. At least, that was what she thought; she knew that it was risky of her to do this but, at the moment, she knew that she could take the risk since she knew no one was watching her but her own comrades.

Her communicator beeped as Stonewell began slowly moving along the old train tracks looking for something that could trigger those explosives. She taped the communicator to turn on the microphone again. "Stonewell here," she said.

" _Lieutenant, we haven't found anything on that black box that you sent us a picture of,_ " Nu began, " _but the analysts advise that you don't open it._ "

A small smile crossed Stonewell's lips. "A bit late for that, ma'am," she said. She wouldn't be doing her job if she didn't get all the information that she could possibly get, including what was in those black boxes. Growing serious, she added, "There are Sakuradite bombs in each of those black boxes, Major Nu, and there's a black box attached to each of the maintenance hatches along the tunnel that I found so far. There's no countdown meter on the bombs themselves and since the Liberators aren't keeping an eye on the tunnel itself, I don't think there's a remote detonator. That just tells me that there's a trigger in the tunnel itself that would set the bombs off once someone crossed it. I'm looking for that trigger now."

" _I will inform Prince Lelouch of your find, Lieutenant. Be careful,_ " Nu said.

Stonewell smiled to herself. She and Villetta Nu had gone to the Imperial Military Academy together and had grown into close friends. Even though they had gone to separate divisions, with Stonewell coming to Japan and Villetta remaining in the Homeland, they had kept into contact with each other. She could hear the genuine concern in her friends voice and softly went about reassuring her that she would be fine.

"I will be fine but I'll be careful," she assured her and went back to looking for the trigger.

 **. . .**

 _Aomori, Area 11_

Suzaku stretched as he made his way among the soldiers gathered around the pier where the 11th Regiment were milling while they waited for orders from their commander. Most of the soldiers gave him disgusted looks, sneered at him, or just completely ignored his presence but Suzaku, used to this, didn't mind. He just meandered his way around them, looking for his friends.

He had been told by both Laura and Lila to take it easy and was supposed to not pilot the _Lancelot_ for another day at least, something that Lloyd was still complaining about today, but he wasn't complaining. He knew that if he started piloting without letting his injury heal at least a bit more then it could reopen.

He still didn't exactly know what they were going to do. Lelouch had been holed up in his office on the G1 for the past couple of hours, giving his men leave until he was ready to head out. What he was doing, Suzaku couldn't even begin to guess. He figured the prince was just coming up with a strategy to take back the military base at Hakodate though.

He gazed around the city with a small smile on his face. He'd visited Aomori before with his family when he was little. It had been in the middle of winter and the one thing Suzaku remembered from that time was the blizzard that had prevented them from leaving their inn for half of their vacation. He was thankful that they were there in the summer; it was much warmer, though still cooler since they were further north than in Tokyo and especially Osaka.

"Hey, Suzaku! Over here!"

At the sound of his name, Suzaku turned to find Tadashi waving him over from where he was sitting on the pier with Kay and Rayne beside him. While he was a goofball who had a tendency to flirt with every female his age that he came across, Tadashi was also someone who did take things seriously when he had to. He may not be that professional, at least all the time, but he was a good soldier.

Suzaku got along with him well, mostly because they were the only Honorary Britannians who were part of the 11th Regiment. They were already looked down upon by their comrades, with the exception of their friends and Lelouch, and were striving to prove that they were just as good as their comrades, even if it was for two very different reasons.

Briefly, the brunet wondered just how his friends would react to learning that Lelouch had chosen him to be his Knight of Honor. He couldn't tell them though; Lelouch hadn't exactly forbidden him from telling anyone, only said that he didn't want it to become public knowledge, and Suzaku knew enough about Britannia to know that it would be wise if he remained silent until the ceremony.

"How are you, Suzaku?" Rayne asked curiously, leaning back on her elbows and tilting her head back to peer at him.

"I'm good," Suzaku replied, taking a seat beside Tadashi. "How are you?"

"Fine." Rayne turned her gaze to the ocean and smiled. "I've never been this far north in Area 11 before. But then we've never left Tokyo until we enlisted in the military."

"We went through Aomori when we moved to Tokyo but that was very brief and I haven't been here since," Tadashi admitted. "What about you, Suzaku?"

"I visited during the winter when I was a kid," Suzaku said and shivered. "Never again."

"Is it really bad up here in the winter?" Kay asked quietly.

"It depends actually. My family and I were just unfortunate enough to get caught in a blizzard when we came here," Suzaku admitted, recalling that day. He had only been seven but he could still remember curling up by the fire at the inn drinking a mug of hot chocolate while snacking on freshly made _onigiri_ and playing games with his parents. His jaw clenched a little as he thought about his parents and he violently shoved the thought out of his mind.

"That's nice," Tadashi, unaware of the dark memories that were returning to Suzaku, commented. He smiled sadly as he added, "Mom wanted to visit Aomori but we never got the chance before..." He trailed off and Suzaku glanced at him, noticing the sadness on his face that quickly cleared up as he smiled cheerfully and added, "Have ya ever gone skiing?"

Only slightly surprised by the abrupt change of subject, Suzaku shook his head.

"Neither have we," Rayne said. "I'd like to do it but I'm pretty sure Kay would go rolling down the side of the mountain instead."

Kay glowered at his sister. "You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?" he asked.

"Nope," Rayne said happily, popping the 'p'.

Tadashi chuckled. "That nearly happened to my brother but he managed to regain his balance just in time," he said. He stretched his hands over his head and added, "I'm starting to get bored though. Any idea how long we're gonna be here?"

"Who knows? I, for one, am thankful for the break," Rayne said, flopping fully onto her back and gazing up at the sky as she curled her arm under her head.

"So am I," Tadashi agreed. He glanced at Suzaku. "Oh, that reminds me. Guess what?"

Suzaku blinked at him. "What?" he said in confusion.

"Lelouch chose me, Rayne, and Kay, along with Gottwald, Lila, and Dimitri to be part of his Royal Guard. Isn't that awesome?" Tadashi asked with a huge grin on his face.

Suzaku blinked. That he hadn't known but then he hadn't really spoken at length with his friends since he agreed to be Lelouch's Knight. "Congratulations," he said.

Kay glanced at him. "But what I don't get is why weren't you invited to join his Royal Guard?" he asked in confusion. "I mean, we all know that you two were childhood friends and you did save his life twice."

"Yeah, I was wondering that myself," Rayne said with a frown. "Why wouldn't he ask you to join his Royal Guard?"

"He has his reasons. Lelouch never does anything without a reason," Suzaku said.

"Still."

"Well, if ya want, ya can always ask him," Tadashi pointed out. "I gotta admit, I'm curious to know the answer to that myself. Maybe we should ask him." He jumped to his feet at that. "Besides, I think Lila and Dimitri have returned to Lelouch's office by now."

Kay glanced at the watch on his wrist and nodded in agreement. He got to his feet and Rayne flipped to her feet, stretching. "You wanna come with us, Suzaku? I'm sure Lelouch wouldn't mind if you came to say hi," she said.

"Um, okay, I guess," Suzaku said. It wasn't as if he had anything else to do, since he still wasn't exactly cleared to help Lloyd out on any of the tests he was running on the _Lancelot._ He got to his feet and followed Tadashi, Rayne, and Kay as they led the way toward the G1 Base.

 **. . .**

 _Lelouch's Office, G1 Base, Aomori_

It was evening. The sun was beginning to fall into the night sky, shedding dying rays of sunlight onto the quiet city of Aomori. Within his office on the G1, Lelouch barely noticed this as he pressed his lips together listening to Major Nu's report on what Stonewell had found in the underwater railway tunnel. Sakuradite bombs. If those went off then not only would it practically obliterate whatever triggered them but it would also cause the railway tunnel to be flooded.

"But why would they have a trigger and yet not be watching the railway tunnel?" Lelouch murmured to himself as he dismissed Nu with a wave of his hand.

"Perhaps they don't think it's necessary, Your Highness," Jeremiah suggested.

Lelouch was silent for a long moment. "Hmm, you've got a point, Jeremiah," he said. "If they aren't watching then that might mean that they weren't expecting me to send a single person instead of an entire convoy and thought the bombs would wipe out the advance."

"It sounds like they may be underestimating you if they believe that, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

"Perhaps but then they may not know who they're up against. If they think they're up against General Andon, whose military prowess is practically legendary, then they wouldn't underestimate him," Lelouch said, his thoughtful eyes flicking toward the general that was observing at his side; he had joined them only a few minutes before Major Nu came in with her report. "Besides, if I am correct about what they're using that military base for then those bombs may very well be in place to alert the Liberators to our approach. That would give them ample time to get word to their forces in Sapporo since we would have been too busy picking up the pieces and changing our route to Hakodate."

"True," Jeremiah said thoughtfully. "So what shall be done?"

"I will know that once Stonewell discovers the trigger to those bombs."

Jeremiah hummed in agreement just as a knock sounded on Lelouch's office door. Both he and Andon glanced toward it as Lelouch looked up. "Come in," he called.

The door opened and Lila and Dimitri came in with Tadashi, Kay, Rayne and, surprisingly, Suzaku just behind them.

"Sorry to disturb you, Your Highness," Dimitri said with a slight bow, holding his laptop in his hands. "But I found something that might interest you.

"And they just decided to tag along," Lila said dryly, gesturing to the rest of the prince's Royal Guard.

"Tag along?" Tadashi pouted. "We're his Royal Guard. We're supposed to be with him at all times anyway."

"Then why were you not with him?" Jeremiah asked with a frown.

"Um, he kinda...kicked us out earlier," Rayne said.

Lelouch snorted, leaning back in his seat. "I did not kick you out. I told you to go get some fresh air and rest," he said. "Now what did you have to show me, Major Duncan?"

Dimitri came up to the desk and placed the laptop in front of Lelouch. "This," he said. "I managed to get a map of the military base as well as the current positions of all the men within. Judging by their positions, I think it is a safe bet to say that your prediction about the true purpose of the base is true."

Lelouch examined the positions, noting that all of them were gathered on the southern end of the base while the northern end seemed undefended. He hummed in thought. "Were you able to get any recent logs from the military base?" he asked.

"Yes. The most recent one was about an hour ago but it was just an exchange of all clears and no enemy approaching."

"They don't know we're here yet then," Lelouch said. "That proves that they don't have eyes in Aomori. That will give us an advantage for as long as we can remain inconspicuous. Anything else, Major?"

"No, Your Highness."

"Keep an eye on the logs and inform me if anything else comes through, no matter how little and even if you don't deem it important," Lelouch ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness," Dimitri said before retrieving his laptop and moving over to sit down on one of the armchairs in the office.

Lelouch returned his gaze to the reports on his desk. He'd been going through every piece of information he had on the Liberators and, while he had figured out the Liberators' cycle strategy, he doubted that they would implement such a plan at the base. The base was simply acting like a watchtower for the Liberators after all.

A rapid knock interrupted Lelouch's train of thought a while later and he, calling for the person to enter, watched as Major Nu quickly strode in. "Your Highness," she said with a salute. "I've received word from Lieutenant Stonewell. She says that she has managed to find and disable the trigger but believes that disabling the bombs would be best to be on the cautious side."

Lelouch was thoughtful. Disabling the bombs would certainly ensure that they couldn't be remotely detonated or that a hidden trigger that Stonewell wasn't able to find couldn't be hit. "Jeremiah, I will leave creating a team of demolition experts to disable those bombs to you," he stated.

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah stated, crossing his fist over his heart and striding out of the office with Major Nu, once Lelouch dismissed her with orders to inform him as soon as the bombs were disabled, just behind him.

"Once those bombs are disabled, we'll be able to make our move," Lelouch said thoughtfully, leaning back in his seat. "It was clever of them to put that in though. The Liberators really are a cunning group, even if they are terrorists." He couldn't deny that he was impressed with the Liberators, especially since they were able to defeat everyone they ever fought against, except Schneizel. They were certainly an enemy that he could not afford to underestimate. That was why he was in the process of coming up with backup plans in case the Liberators didn't continue to use their cycle strategy when he engaged with them at Sapporo.

He glanced out the window and pressed his lips together in thought. "Approaching tomorrow would be best," he murmured. "It's late now and while the cover of darkness would provide ample opportunity to attack, it's also very likely to be expected." He was also sure it was going to take some time to disable those bombs anyway.

 **. . .**

 _July 16, 2016_

 _Abandoned Apartment, Shinjuku Ghetto_

... _So you're letting her go through with this?…_

B.B. glanced off to the side as he watched Tara move around the room getting ready for the dance that would be taking place at Ashford Academy in a few hours. She was dressed in a light-blue dress with short-sleeves that went down to her feet with boots under them. While the boots would help her should she need to run, the dress's length wouldn't. Her aqua-colored hair was in a bun at the top of her head with stray strands falling into her face.

"She'll go through with it even if I tell her not to," B.B. murmured.

... _Still. I mean she's going after a blind, crippled girl. Prince Clovis, I understood, even Prince Lelouch I could understand but Princess Nunnally? That's like so stupid…_

"I have to agree with you, Daniel," B.B. murmured, "but I've given up on trying to convince her to not go through with this plan." Truthfully, when he'd enrolled Tara in Ashford Academy, he'd hoped that meeting and getting to know Princess Nunnally would quench her desire to kill the blind, crippled girl but it hadn't.

"Well, I'm all ready to go," Tara said brightly. "Wish me luck."

"I won't even bother," B.B. said dismissively.

Tara pouted. "Why not?"

"Because I was hoping that getting to know Princess Nunnally would change your mind about taking her out," B.B. said.

Tara scowled. "Who the hell cares what she's like? She's a member of the Royal Family and she deserves to die for that. I thought you would've been happy about that," she said angrily.

"Her death won't benefit me at all," B.B. said simply.

"I don't see why not."

B.B. shook her head, deciding that he'd had enough with dealing with Tara at the moment. "Do what you want. I have a meeting to attend to," he said and strode toward the door, slipping out of it before Tara could say anything.

... _What are you going to do? Are you really going to let her go through with this? You weren't able to convince her not to go through with this so what will you do know? Do you really want Princess Nunnally's death on your head?…_

B.B.'s lips thinned but Daniel did have a point. He paused in his walking, gazing up at the sky in thought. "No, not really. Besides, Tara did inform me that Princess Nunnally's brother is very overprotective of her. I know the overprotective brother type—you—and I do not want him to be after my ass should he find out I knew of what Tara was going to do and did nothing to stop it. I really am regretting entering into a contract with her," he said.

... _I'm going to overlook that overprotective brother comment for now. Then warn them, you moron…_

B.B. pressed his lips together before he decided to do just that. Whether they listened to him or not was entirely up to them though.

But who should he warn?

 **. . .**

 _Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement_

 _Well, at least it's not raining,_ Kallen thought as she stepped out of the limo and stood up, smoothing the red dress that she was wearing. It went down to her knees and had straps as thin as spaghetti noodles with a lace bodice. She turned to her driver and nodded her thanks. "The dance ends at nine," she said.

"I will be back then to pick you up then, Mistress," George, her driver, said and, closing the door, headed for the driver's seat.

Kallen made her way toward the open gates, noticing that more students were arriving. Even though the dance was to help cheer up Nunnally, Milly, naturally, decided to make it a school wide event. Kallen was thankful that she got to choose her own dress though, otherwise…

She shuddered at the thought of what Milly would have forced her to wear.

As she followed the crowd of students, she frowned when she spotted someone leaning against the wall, watching the crowd of students walk by. His eyes locked with hers and her frown deepened at those calculating amber eyes held her. She didn't like this guy. There was just something...off about him. Maybe it was just his eyes. Either way, this was private property so she strode over to join him.

"This is private property and you're obviously not a student. No loitering," she said firmly, pointing to the sign that clearly said that wasn't allowed.

"Relax. I'm just here escorting my niece," the young man said. "May I ask you something?"

Kallen frowned. "What?" she asked, tightening her grip on her wallet.

"Do you know Princess Nunnally?"

That was not the question that Kallen had been expecting but she still frowned. "Why do you wanna know?" she demanded. _If this guy is trying to hurt Nunnally…_

"She's in danger," the young man said softly. "I overheard someone stating that they're going to try to assassinate her today. They have a plan to infiltrate this dance and kill her during it. I didn't get a good look at who it was but I felt it prudent to warn someone."

"Why should I believe you? And why not tell your niece?"

"She's stubborn to a fault. She won't believe one of her friends is in danger and believes that the school's too protected to allow in an assassin but, in a case like this with the lack of guards or really anyone paying attention to just _who_ is entering the school grounds, an assassin can slip in."

"Maybe but we have security measures in place and Princess Nunnally does have a few bodyguards with her," Kallen said.

"That's good then," the young man said. "I'm just passing on what I know, however. Do with it what you will." Without another word, he gave a short wave to someone over Kallen's shoulder and turned around before striding off.

Kallen turned but the person he'd waved at had already disappeared into the school grounds. She frowned but decided that even if the guy was lying to her, she didn't want to risk him speaking the truth. Besides, why would anyone lie about something like that? But, since she couldn't afford to break her cover, the least she could do was deliver that guy's warning to Nunnally's bodyguards. At the very least, they could keep an eye out for suspicious activity.

 **. . .**

 _Ballroom, Student Council Clubhouse_

Shirley, dressed in a soft blue dress that hugged her form, gazed around the ballroom before turning Nunnally who was seated on her wheelchair, dressed in a lavender dress with long white sleeves with her light-brown hair in a bun at the top of her head with strands falling into her face. Soft music was playing in the background as people wandered around, chatting with their friends, dancing with their partners, or eating the various foods that had been placed around.

"So are you enjoying yourself, Nunna?" she asked.

Nunnally smiled brightly and she nodded eagerly. "I am. Even if I can't dance, it's nice listening to the music and talking with my friends," she said.

"That's good. Do you want something to eat or something?" Shirley asked.

"Umm, can you get me some of Sayoko's brownies?"

"Sure thing!" Shirley turned around and headed toward the snack table, her long dress trailing after her. Once she got to the snack table, she began filling up a plate of brownies, noticing that Kallen had joined her, sipping at a glass of fruit punch. "Hey, Kallen."

"Hi Shirley," Kallen said with a small meek smile..

"You having fun?"

"Uh huh, except for the many guys that keep asking me to dance," Kallen admitted.

"Yeah, I've been getting that a lot too," Shirley admitted, adding a few cookies to the plate since she knew of how much Nunnally liked them. "I danced with a few of 'em, ya know, to be polite and all but..." She shrugged.

"You'd much rather be dancing with your Lulu," Milly said cheerfully, appearing quite suddenly at Shirley's side and she jumped, nearly throwing the plate she'd made for Nunnally into the air. Milly was in a long blue dress that showed off her curves and her long hair fell in waves over her shoulders.

"Don't do that, Madam President," she exclaimed.

Milly chuckled and Kallen smiled a little.

"Speaking of Lulu, has anyone heard anything from him since yesterday?" Shirley asked curiously.

"Not that I know of," Milly said. "He's probably really busy."

"Yeah, probably." Shirley did worry about Lelouch. While she knew that Lelouch had military training, it was still hard to see her friend as being part of the military, and she also knew that it was dangerous.

"I'm sure your Lulu will be fine," Milly said. "Now, weren't ya gonna do something?"

"Oh, yeah!" Shirley darted back the way she'd come with Nunnally's plate of snacks. She came to the princess's side and, after alerting the princess to her presence, placed the plate of sweets on her lap.

"I added some cookies. Hope you don't mind," she said.

"Nah, I love these cookies, though Big Brother's are still the best. Even if Sayoko found out Big Brother's secret, I don't think anyone will be able to make them as good as Big Brother," Nunnally said, picking up a cookie and biting into it.

Shirley chuckled just as the song changed and Nunnally perked up.

"Oh I love this song,":she gasped.

Shirley smiled brightly. "So do I. It's so pretty," she said, humming along to the music.

"Uh huh." Nunnally began to softly sing along to the song and Shirley found herself singing along as well.

"You're a good singer, Shirley," Nunnally said when the song finished.

Shirley flushed. "Um, you think so?" she asked.

"Uh huh," Nunnally said with a nod and a smile.

Shirley smiled a little. "Ah, well, I don't think I'm that great," she said.

"Oh don't sell yourself short," Nunnally chided. "You have a beautiful voice. I'm not that great a singer myself."

"Thanks, Nunna, and you sounded just fine," Shirley said with a faint smile.

Nunnally smiled and picked up a brownie before biting into it. "I really do love these," she said happily as she took another bite before she turned to Shirley, tilting her face up to her. "Hey, Shirley, can I ask you something?"

"Um, sure."

"Do you think you and Big Brother are gonna be boyfriend and girlfriend when he gets back?" Nunnally asked innocently.

Shirley went red, sputtering incoherently for a long while. While she would love to call herself Lelouch's girlfriend, she just knew that it wouldn't happen; she wasn't noble after all.

"My mother wasn't noble, you know," Nunnally said, making Shirley realize that she'd said that last part out loud. "She was a commoner but my father still fell in love with and married her. I'm sure if Lelouch feels the same way about you that you do about him then he won't care that you're not noble."

"You...You really think so?" Shirley asked, feeling hope well up inside her.

"Uh huh," Nunnally said with a nod, finishing off her brownie. She opened her mouth to say something but, at that moment, Shirley heard Kallen shout out, "Nunnally, look out!" just as the _crack_ of a gun fired.

Shirley did the first thing that came to her mind. She grabbed Nunnally and, pulling her from her wheelchair, threw them both to the ground just in time to avoid the bullet that sailed over their heads.

 **. . .**

Meanwhile, at the other end of the ballroom, Kallen breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Shirley get Nunnally out of harm's way just in time to avoid the bullet. She then looked around, searching for the culprit while realizing that odd amber-eyed young man had been right. An assassin had managed to sneak into the school but, with how crowded the ballroom—that was currently panicking—was, it was difficult to figure out just where the bullet had come from.

Nunnally's bodyguards had immediately rushed to the princess's side. One stayed with her while the other took off in search of the assassin but Kallen had the feeling that the assassin was already long gone.

Putting down her glass of fruit punch, she bolted over to where Shirley, Nunnally, and the first bodyguard were located. Milly, Nina, and Rivalz had also bolted over to join her, looking just as shocked as Kallen was by the sudden assassination attempt.

"Nunnally, are you okay?!" Milly gasped.

"Y...Yeah," Nunnally stammered out, still white-faced with fear.

"It's okay, Nunna, it's okay," Shirley said soothingly, gently wrapping her arms around the terrified princess while the bodyguard shifted so that he was standing between the gathered friends and the area where the shot had originated.

"Damn it, who would try to kill Nunnally of all people?" Rivalz exclaimed.

"The more important question is how did that person get in here to begin with? We had security measures in place to ensure something like this didn't happen," Milly said with a frown.

"They must've disguised themselves as a student or something," Nina said softly.

"But we checked everyone's student ID before letting them in," Milly said.

Kallen swallowed at that as realization settled on her shoulders. Tentatively, she asked, "Does that mean whoever did this was a registered student?"

That caused Shirley, Nina, Milly, and Rivalz to look at her in shock.

"Though I hate to admit it," Milly said, her shock fading into thoughtfulness, a frown on her face, "Kallen does have a point."

"But who would want to kill Nunnally?" Rivalz asked in confusion.

"Yeah, everyone loves her," Nina said quietly.

Kallen's mind flashed to a certain aqua-haired girl and she frowned to herself as she remembered what she had learned about Tara Archer while Tara was part of her late brother's resistance. _Tara…_

She stood up. "Excuse me for a moment," she said quietly before she turned and quickly walked away, intent on tracking the aqua-haired girl down.

 **. . .**

 _Upstairs, Student Council Clubhouse_

Tara leaned against the wall, panting and scowling. _Damn it. If Kallen hadn't interfered, it would've worked,_ she thought as she slid her gun back into the holster she had hidden on her thigh and dropped the dress over it to hide it from view.

"As I thought," Kallen's cool voice said and Tara whirled around to find Kallen standing there with her arms folded across her chest, her eyes glaring at Tara.

"Kallen, hey, what're you doing here?" Tara asked, trying to sound innocent.

"Save it, Tara. I saw the gun and I already know that you've been wanting to kill Nunnally anyway since the day you suggested to my brother that you could assassinate her," Kallen growled, her blue eyes cold like ice. "I can't believe you would want to kill someone like Nunnally."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tara tried to deny.

"Bullshit. I know you're lying," Kallen snapped.

"So what? You're gonna tell on me? What makes you think they'll even believe you?" Tara spat, angry that Kallen had found out the truth. Not to mention she was still angry that Kallen had warned Nunnally.

"What makes you think they'll believe you if you tell them otherwise?" Kallen shot back.

"If you tell them about this then I'll tell them that you're a terrorist," Tara hissed.

Kallen stiffened and then scowled furiously. "You have absolutely no proof," she spat.

Tara smirked. "Who says I don't," she spat back.

Kallen was shaking with rage, looking about ready to leap at her and strangle her but, before she could, another voice called up from the base of the stairs. "Hey, Kallen, everything okay?" Shirley called. "Oh and Tara! Where've you been? I was looking for you earlier."

"Oh, I got here late," Tara said, plastering a fake smile on her face. "And everything's fine up here. We're just talking, that's all."

"Oh, okay. Well, Milly and I are gonna take Nunnally back to her room. After what happened, it's understandable that she doesn't want to stay here any longer," Shirley said. "Oh and Mr. Storm is gonna wanna talk with both of ya for information on whether you saw the attacker or not."

"Okay, thanks Shirley," Kallen said, adopting a meek tone.

"No problem," Shirley said and walked off to join Milly and a still white-faced Nunnally.

Tara resisted the urge to glare at the blind and crippled girl and settled for glaring at Kallen instead. She moved forward to stand directly in front of Kallen and hissed, "If you tell anyone about what happened here today, I will tell them about you being a terrorist and I will give them the location of your friends'."

"You don't know where they are," Kallen hissed.

"I have ways of finding out," Tara snarled.

Kallen glared at her but Tara held her gaze and, for a long moment, there was silence between the two of them before Kallen broke the glaring contest. "Fine," she spat furiously, causing a wave of triumph to go through Tara. She knew that Kallen wouldn't dare put her friends in jeopardy, especially not after recently losing her brother.

"Glad we had this chat," Tara said, plastering on a cheerful smile before she bounded down the stairs to go speak with Mr. Storm, Nunnally's bodyguard.

 **. . .**

 _Railway Tunnel, Between Aomori and Hokkaido_

After word had reached Lelouch that the bombs and the trigger had been disabled, he and his men had set out. They were very cautious with entering the railway tunnel but Lelouch trusted in Stonewell's ability to scout and find possible dangers. She had found the sakuradite bombs after all. They moved at a steady pace, though; Lelouch opted to travel in his knightmare since he found it easier to keep an eye on his men's position while he was among them.

" _It's going to be a few hours to get to the other end at the pace we're going, Your Highness,_ " Jeremiah said.

"I know," Lelouch said, scanning the area on his screens. The lights from the factsphere as well as the flickering lights that adorned the walls allowed for the curving tunnel to be illuminated. Lelouch and his Royal Guard, with the exception of Lila, Tadashi, and Dimitri, the former two of whom were in the medical transport while the latter was monitoring the situation on the G1, were at the head of the group with the rest of the 11th Regiment trailing after them.

"Major Duncan, do you know where we will be when we leave this tunnel?" Lelouch asked after connecting to the G1's bridge.

" _The abandoned Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station about 18.4 kilometers northwest of Hakodate, Your Highness,_ " Dimitri said.

"And how long do you estimate it will take us to reach that station?"

" _At the pace we're going, about four and a half to five hours, Your Highness,_ " Dimitri responded.

"All right. Has anything changed with the Liberators at Hakodate?" Lelouch asked.

" _Nothing as of yet, Your Highness. The most recent logs are still filled with all clears and no enemy in sight, though the Liberators have stated that they believe Britannia will be making a move soon but they haven't said anything about sending word to Sapporo,_ " Dimitri replied.

"All right. Continue to monitor the situation," Lelouch ordered.

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Dimitri replied.

" _I'm surprised that the tunnel hasn't collapsed yet. I mean, it's been abandoned for almost six years,_ " Rayne noted over the line.

" _The tunnel is within the seabed itself and I doubt that the seabed will collapse anytime soon,_ " Kay said.

" _I hope you're right. I certainly don't wanna go for a swim anytime soon,_ " Rayne huffed.

" _You just hate water period, don't you?_ " Tadashi asked curiously, patching into the line from the medical transport.

" _Water's for drinking, nothing else,_ " Rayne stated.

" _Man, does that mean you've never been swimming before?_ "

" _Nope._ "

" _Boy are ya missing out! Hmm, wonder what you'd look like in a bikini?_ "

"... _Kay, remind me to smack the idiot when we get to the station,_ " Rayne said.

" _Unless I get to him first,_ " Kay said darkly.

" _I was just saying! Is it my fault that I can't help but wonder what Rayne and Nunnally, for that matter, would look like since they're such pretty girls?_ " Tadashi exclaimed.

Lelouch's eye twitched. "Excuse me?" he said lowly.

" _Tadashi, you'd best learn how to think before you speak like right now or you're gonna be on the receiving end of a pissed-off Lelouch and, trust me, you do_ not _wanna know what a pissed-off Lelouch is capable of,_ " Suzaku's voice chimed in on the frequency from where he was in the AS.E.E.C.'s mobile base, now that he was medically cleared to leave the medical transport.

A gulp sounded over the line. " _Ah, is it too late to take back what I said?_ " Tadashi asked worriedly.

Rayne snorted. " _This ain't the first time you've done that, y'know?_ " she said.

" _I was just complimenting her!_ " Tadashi cried.

" _It's practically ingrained in Lelouch to give death glares to anyone who compliments his sister. I like to call it Overprotective Older Brother Syndrome,_ " Suzaku said.

"Overprotective Older _Sibling_ Syndrome," Lelouch corrected. "Cornelia's just as protective of her sister Euphie as I am of Nunnally, perhaps more so."

" _Must run in the family._ "

" _Wait, does this mean...um...do you think Euphie told Princess Cornelia about me, ah, complimenting her during our graduation?_ " Tadashi asked in fear.

"If she had, you'd already be six feet under," Lelouch said. He wasn't being serious, not entirely anyway. Cornelia wouldn't kill someone just for complimenting her sister, neither would he for that matter. But it was amusing to see, or rather hear, Tadashi's reaction to that statement.

Tadashi laughed nervously. " _You're joking,_ " he said uncertainly. " _Um, right?_ "

"So Major Duncan, how long will it take us to reach Hakodate from the station?" Lelouch asked, promptly ignoring Tadashi's question.

" _It will depend on the pace you set. I would say about half an hour to an hour,_ " Dimitri said.

" _Lelouch, please tell me you're joking,_ " Tadashi said, sounding panicked and not seeming aware of the fact that Rayne was laughing hysterically and Suzaku was trying, and failing, to hide his own snickers.

"Good. Lieutenant Colonel Soresi, I want you and Major Nu to gather two separate parties together to scout out both the area around the station and the road to Hakodate," Lelouch said, still completely ignoring Tadashi's pleas.

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Soresi and Nu said at once.

" _Lelouch!_ " Tadashi cried.

"Was there something you needed, Private Akiyama?" Lelouch asked casually.

" _You were joking about Princess Cornelia burying me six feet under for complimenting Euphie, right?_ " Tadashi asked uncertainly.

Lelouch's lips quirked. "Of course I was, Tadashi. Overprotective though she may be, she won't do something that drastic just for a compliment and neither will I for that matter," he said.

" _Then why are you always trying to set me on fire with your eyes whenever I compliment Nunnally?_ " Tadashi complained.

"Because it gets my point across, most of the time, and reminds people of the point I'm trying to make," Lelouch said.

" _Your point?_ "

"Mess with or hurt my sister and I'll make your life a living hell," Lelouch said darkly.

Tadashi gulped. " _Has anyone ever tried to hurt Nunnally?_ " he asked almost as if he was afraid to know the answer.

Lelouch thought about it for a moment and scowled at a certain bully that thought it would be funny to pick on a defenseless crippled girl and then shove her out of her wheelchair while he was watching. That had enraged him; it was only some quick talking from Milly that kept him from doing something he'd regret later. "Once. The kid ended up transferring schools," he said.

" _...Um, I'm almost afraid to ask but...what did you_ do _to that kid?_ " Kay asked quietly.

Lelouch snorted. "You make it sound like I hurt the kid," he said. _Though it was only 'cause of Milly that I didn't._ "All I did was scold him for what he did in front of the entire school. Nunnally was pretty well liked by the student body so when they learned of what that bully did to her, he was forced to transfer schools in order to avoid an enraged student body."

" _I can understand why,_ " Suzaku mused.

 **. . .**

 _East Wing Apartment, Student Council Clubhouse_

Nunnally swallowed a drink of the hot chocolate that Sayoko had made for her, both her hands clasped around the mug. She was still shaking but she had started to calm down now that the danger had passed. She was still attempting to wrap her mind around what happened in that ballroom, of that gunshot and Kallen's warning and Shirley's actions coming just in time to get her out of harm's way.

 _Why would someone want to kill me? What did I do to them?_ She thought sadly. She was afraid and confused; she couldn't understand why someone would try to kill her when she'd done nothing wrong.

 _Was it someone who was working with the same people who killed Mother?_ She doubted that since she doubted that terrorists would be able to get into Ashford Academy, especially not when the students were required to present their IDs before they were allowed in the clubhouse.

But that just brought another question to Nunnally's mind. _Was the person who shot at me a registered student? But why? Why would one of my classmates or one of Milly's and Shirley's classmates want to kill me?_ She thought in confusion.

By nature, Nunnally was friendly to everyone she met and would always treat them with respect. She wasn't mean to anyone and she just couldn't understand why someone would try to kill her.

 _Or is it simply because I'm royalty?_ She may only be thirteen years old but that didn't mean she was stupid. She knew that her life would be in danger now that her royal heritage had been revealed but that didn't make it any less surprising. After all, she wasn't sixteen yet and hadn't made her public debut; no one was supposed to know where she was, except for members of the Britannian military, the Royal Family, and the students of Ashford Academy. And she wasn't even that important; she was just one of the Emperor's many children and was too far down the line of succession that it was unlikely she would ever take the throne. Thus, in her eyes and she was sure in the eyes of many, she wasn't a threat.

And yet someone still saw her as one and decided to try and kill her because of that.

She couldn't wrap her mind around it.

"Are you all right, Mistress Nunnally?" Sayoko asked softly as Nunnally put the mug of hot chocolate, with half of it left, on the table.

"Yeah, I just…Sayoko, why did they try to kill me?" Nunnally asked.

"I do not know," Sayoko admitted. "There could be any number of reasons."

Nunnally sighed, chewing on her lower lip. "Is it because I'm royalty?" she asked.

"It's a definite possibility," Sayoko said.

The sound of the door opening came to her and Nunnally froze but relaxed when she reminded herself that she was safe in the east wing. No one could hurt her there.

"Oh dear, Nunnally, I just heard what happened. Are you all right?" Clovis's voice asked worriedly and Nunnally felt her older half-brother take her hands in his after moving deeper into the room.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Brother Clovis," Nunnally said softly.

"It's truly horrible that this happened. I'll be sure to send some more guards over to keep you safe so that this doesn't happen again," Clovis said firmly.

"Would you care for some tea, Your Highness?" Sayoko asked.

"Yes, please, green tea if you have it and two cubes of sugar," Clovis said, releasing Nunnally's hands and she heard him pull out a chair and take a seat. "I'm going to do everything that I can to find the assassin."

"Thank you, Brother Clovis," Nunnally said with a smile, the last of her fear fading away. She bit her lip for a moment before asking, "So how've you been?"

"I've been well," Clovis said. "Haven't really had much free time to focus on my painting but I did finally finish that painting you wanted."

Nunnally beamed. "Great," she said. Even if she couldn't see it, she felt the gesture, the hard work and determination that Clovis put into it, was more important than her ability to see it. Besides, her big brother would be able to see it and she knew that he would describe it to her if she asked him too.

"Oh, that reminds me. Sayoko, can you bring me some origami paper? I wanna make Clovis a crane," Nunnally said. Perhaps that would also help to get her mind off what happened.

"Of course, Mistress," Sayoko said and Nunnally heard her walk away after handing Clovis his tea and she heard Clovis's polite thanks. The maid came back a moment later and placed a piece of paper in Nunnally's hand. Nunnally, placing the paper on the table, immediately began to work on the folds, focusing on the feel of them.

"Sayoko taught me how to make origami cranes a while ago. I find it really fun and it gives my hands something to do when I'm bored," Nunnally said with a soft smile as she patiently worked on the folding. "It's kinda become a hobby, like chess is for Big Brother."

Clovis chuckled. "Lelouch certainly loves chess. I still can't beat him," he said and Nunnally could almost picture him pouting childishly.

Nunnally giggled. "Only Brother Schneizel can beat him," she said. She smiled to herself. Talking with Clovis, and with her friends before they left after the sweep deemed the campus safe for them to leave, had definitely helped her start to overcome what happened. She doubted she would be able to overcome it in an instant but she, at least, was no longer afraid of every little noise.

 **. . .**

 _Hakodate, Hokkaido, Area 11_

Suzaku observed the city of Hakodate that lay in front of him. They were less than a mile from the city itself but no one seemed to have noticed their approach. The city was only slightly better off than the ghettos that surrounded the Tokyo Settlement but the military base that lay on the coast of the Tsugaru Strait shrouded part of the city in shadows.

"Well, doesn't look like we're gonna be part of this battle," Lloyd huffed, folding his arms across his chest with a pout, watching Lelouch calmly brief his men.

"You know that His Highness is simply looking out for his men. Suzaku is still recovering from getting shot," Cecile pointed out.

"But still! I wanna try out the MVSs. I'm sure I've gotten all the glitches out by now," Lloyd whined, frowning at Suzaku as if it was his fault that the _Lancelot_ couldn't be launched.

Suzaku smiled sheepishly back at him, since it was kind of his fault but he didn't regret saving his best friend's life.

"He did a good deed in saving Prince Lelouch's life, Lloyd," Cecile said firmly.

Lloyd huffed. "Yeah, yeah, but still! This just means we're stuck on the sidelines again," he complained and started muttering more complaints under his breath.

Cecile let out a long-suffering sigh and turned to smile at Suzaku. "I'm sure you'll be able to fight in the next battle," she said. "How do you feel?"

"I feel fine," Suzaku said.

"Then why don't you tell the prince that? Then my _Lancelot_ could be launched in this battle," Lloyd complained.

Cecile gave Lloyd a glare that caused him to let out a little _eep_ and step back a little.

"I have my reasons for not including the _Lancelot_ in this battle," Lelouch's voice said and Suzaku turned to find the prince moving over to join them. "Not only is Warrant Officer Kururugi still recovering but I also do not want to show all my cards so to speak in this battle."

"Oh, I see," Lloyd said. "You wanna keep my baby as a secret weapon."

"To put it simply, yes," Lelouch said.

"Well, okay, I can live with that," Lloyd said and disappeared back into the A.S.E.E.C.'s mobile base.

"Is he always like that?" Lelouch asked Cecile.

"Pretty much, Your Highness," Cecile said with an exasperated smile before she bowed and disappeared back into the mobile base behind her boss.

Lelouch then turned to Suzaku. "The battle here should be pretty quick," he said. "Since they don't seem to know we're here yet, according to Dimitri anyway."

Suzaku hummed in agreement. "Then we're heading for Sapporo?" he asked.

"Yes. That's where the real battle is going to take place," Lelouch said, his lips pulled back in a cool smirk that sent a shiver down Suzaku's spine. "If I've played my pieces correctly and the Liberators move as I predict they will then it will not take long."

"You sure are arrogant, Your Highness," General Andon said, walking over to join them and overhearing Lelouch's last words.

Lelouch turned to the green-haired Commander-in-Chief. "I prefer the term confident," he said. "I have some backup plans should they become necessary and the Liberators do not act as I believe they will. But we will see."

Andon hummed, studying Lelouch thoughtfully. "I suppose we will," he said and walked away.

"I can't afford to lose here," Lelouch murmured under his breath. Suzaku glanced at him but, realizing that he was sure he wasn't supposed to hear that, he stayed silent.

 **. . .**

"Things seem rather quiet," Rayne mused as she guided her knightmare through the streets of Hakodate toward the military base in the distance. It was getting late and the sun had already vanished beyond the horizon. "It's almost as if everyone's hiding or something."

" _Well, considering terrorists have overrun the city, I can understand why no one is out and about,_ " Kay commented over the frequency and Rayne could see his knightmare moving just ahead of her own. They were part of the vanguard, who would be battling against the Liberators while the rearguard was in place to ensure that no one escaped to report to the terrorists in Sapporo.

"True," she said, leaning back in her seat and stretching her arms above her head. "I wonder if the terrorists even know we're here yet."

" _According to the logs Dimitri pulled up, they're still unaware of our arrival,_ " Lelouch put in. " _All right, Major Frost, Lieutenant Colonel Soresi, take your squadrons and flank the military base. Jeremiah, come in from the middle with your squad once you see the signal._ "

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Kay, Soresi, and Gottwald said.

" _Wait, what's the signal?_ " Rayne asked confused.

There was a long, exasperated sigh. " _Pay attention during the briefing next time, little sis,_ " Kay scolded. " _And just follow my lead._ "

Rayne huffed. "Fine," she said and guided her Sutherland after her twin toward the east end of the military base. By the time they reached the base, they were side by side with the rest of Kay's squadron following them. They always did work well together, though Kay was obviously the superior pilot. Rayne made up for it in her hand-to-hand combat skills. Still, she found herself feeling oddly nervous about the coming battle.

It was too quiet.

"They should've been alerted to our presence by now since we're practically on top of them. Why aren't they responding?" she asked in confusion.

" _You're right. Your Highness, something isn't right about this,_ " Kay said. " _We're meeting no resistance on our end._ "

" _Nor at ours, Your Highness,_ " Soresi's voice sounded over the line.

" _Continue onward,_ " Lelouch said calmly.

Rayne frowned. "Are you sure?" she asked. "What if they've staged an ambush or something?"

" _Rayne, remember who you're talking to,_ " Kay hissed.

" _I assure you I know what I am doing, Lieutenant,_ " Lelouch said calmly. " _Keep going._ "

"Oookay, if you say so," Rayne said, still not sure about what it was Lelouch was planning.

 **. . .**

Back on the G1 Base, General Andon was thinking along the same lines. _What is he planning?_ He thought, casting a sidelong glance at the prince whose eyes were fixed on the map of the military base while he chin was resting on the palm of his hand. He looked utterly relaxed, not seeming concerned with the fact that they were meeting with no resistance.

" _We're in position, Your Highness,_ " Lieutenant Colonel Soresi stated.

" _So are we,_ " Major Frost stated.

"Then proceed as planned," Lelouch said, shifting with his amethyst eyes still locked on the map of the base. More importantly, his eyes were fixed on the area of the base that the Liberators had last been seen before they'd managed to blind the prince to their movements. It was for that reason that Andon really had no idea if the prince's plan would work; it was a plan created around the most recently known position of the terrorists, a position that had likely changed after they found the breach in the system they were monitoring and closed it.

But he kept his mouth shut. He was there to observe and, occasionally, offer advice when the prince asked for it. However, mostly, he was there to keep an eye on the prince, observe him in action, determine whether he was as skilled as Prince Schneizel seemed to think he was, and be prepared to take over should it look as if the prince was about to fail.

He turned his attention to the map as well, watching as the three squadrons closed in on the base. Major Frost's squadron and Lieutenant Colonel Soresi's squadron moved in at the exact same time, though it was obvious that there was no one there to fight them. Andon frowned to himself, wondering where they were.

Prince Lelouch stood up and walked over to the three-dimensional map of the base, his lips pressed together in thought and his eyes narrowed. "Hmm, there are a number of different moves they can make at this point with their backs against the walls. Eventually, they will have to show themselves," he murmured.

And show themselves, they did.

Andon watched as a large number of the enemy stormed out of the surrounded command center and its surrounding areas. Mostly tanks and Glasgows were used, emerging from underground bunkers on either side of the command center before separating and launching themselves at the two squadrons that were flanking it.

"Perfect," Prince Lelouch murmured, a cool smile on his lips as he tapped his finger against the panel. "Jeremiah, you know your orders."

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Jeremiah stated and Andon watched as Jeremiah's squadron shot forward from the streets of Hakodate into the courtyard of the military base, right in the space the Liberators had left when they separated to attack the flanking squadrons before separating to pin the Liberators between them and the command center. _He knew that they would do that and so had the Margrave and his men move in to encircle them,_ he thought, casting a sidelong glance at the prince.

The Liberators were forced back as the Sutherlands quickly took care of the tanks before tangling with the Glasgows. Since Sutherlands had been designed to combat other knightmare frames whereas Glasgows were not, it was a pretty one-sided battle. Sure, he did note that there were some decent pilots among the terrorists but it didn't help them much.

Andon turned to the prince as he continued to watch the battle, his face an expressionless mask and his eyes still studying the map as various 'LOST' signs from the enemy's transponders littered it. "Will you ask them to surrender as you did at Osaka, Your Highness?" Andon asked.

Prince Lelouch nodded.

Andon didn't think that they would agree and, as it turned out, he was right.

"We will never surrender to you Britannian dogs!" The commander of the enemy's forces declared through the channel that Prince Lelouch had contacted them from.

"Very well then," Prince Lelouch said, not sounding surprised at all, before he ordered his men to continue the assault.

As the battle progressed, Andon turned to the prince. "You knew they wouldn't surrender," he said. It wasn't a question.

Prince Lelouch glanced at him but said nothing.

"Why did you bother on asking them to surrender then?" Andon asked.

"I only suspected that they wouldn't surrender. By giving them the option and hearing their response, I learned something more about them," the prince said simply.

"Oh? And what did you learn?"

"They're proud. Their refusal to give in is evident of that," Prince Lelouch said. "Hmm, that helps me with my plans for Sapporo as well."

Andon raised an eyebrow but the prince said nothing more as he turned around and walked back to his throne, sitting down to watch the last of the rather one-sided battle.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: see? There wasn't much of a battle. It's more of a one-sided skirmish**

 **Bakura: yeah, yeah, whatever**

 **Blaze: (glares at Bakura) anyway, I have two questions for my reviewers; one because I'm curious and another because I have an idea and I want to know your opinion on it**

 **Lelouch: I suppose I will ask the first question. Blaze wants to know who your favorite English voice actor is? Or, if you have more than one, who are your top three?**

 **Blaze: mine are Johnny Yong Bosch, Yuri Lowenthal, and Dan Green, just in case you were wondering**

 **Suzaku: the second question is this: Blaze is currently writing a** _ **Code Geass**_ **/** _ **Harry Potter**_ **crossover fic that takes place post-Zero Requiem and during** _ **Order of the Phoenix**_ **and she's wondering if anyone would read it.**

 **Blaze: the only thing I will say about this story is it involves a Code Bearer! Lelouch, a more complex and global spanning war, a couple of Geass-using** _ **Harry Potter**_ **characters, and the four Wizarding Schools that J.K. Rowling discusses on** _ **Pottermore**_ **that exist in the** _ **Harry Potter**_ **universe.**

 **Lelouch: interesting**

 **Blaze: well, whether you'll read it or not, I'm still writing it and I'm having fun with it, especially since I'm exploring writing in present tense**

 **Suzaku: cool**

— _ **boom—**_

 **Blaze: … Okay, what blew up?**

 **Lelouch: that was either Pendragon, the International Space Station, or the Ministry of Magic**

 **Suzaku: but who did it?**

 **Lelouch: no idea. On a completely unrelated note, where did Bakura go?**

 **Blaze: (smacks forehead) Pendragon and the Ministry of Magic, I get, but what does Bakura have against the International Space Station?**

 **Lelouch: no clue**

 **Blaze: (sighs) I suppose I'll ask when he gets back. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this chapter and the next chapter will be the prelude to the three-part, and 57 page single-spaced total, battle so that's something to look forward to. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	23. Across the Scarred Land

**I've got so many ideas and it sucks 'cause I can't write them all at once. :(**

 **Cough.**

 **Ahem, anyway, short beginning author's note** **and then** **we can get started on the calm before the storm.**

 **Thank you to** _ **harlequin320, LIAism, Shadow-Shinobi666, OBSERVER01, ZeroUnleashed, DYnoJackal19, Blacksword Zero, Stickman6969, chimea629, grievousrommel, Shimmering-Sky, B-Kira, Doommajor, Scarease,**_ **and** _ **TC9078**_ **for reviewing the last chapter.**

 **And thank you to** _ **manjamanja96**_ **for reviewing chapters 10 and 17.**

 **All of you guys are great.**

 **Anyway, I revised Lelouch's reaction in this chapter and, while it's not quite as explosive as many people think it will be, I, personally, think it fits Lelouch in the situation that he is in. The introspection serves, I hope, to illustrate why he is not reacting as** _ **explosively**_ **as one would expect all things considered. So hopefully I did an okay job.**

 **I hope that you enjoy this chapter and I hope to update this story at least two more times before the end of April. Wish me luck and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _December 28, 2014_

 _Aomori, Area 11_

 _Diethard Ried hated the cold. Aomori was caught in the middle of a snowstorm that made walking almost impossible since no one could see where they were going. He was there because he was reporting on a story but, at the moment, nothing was happening and that meant that he was stuck in the cold with virtually nothing to do. He really hated it._

 _He sighed to himself, his breath coming out of his mouth as he gazed through the window at the whirling snow. He'd come to Aomori to report on the most recent appearance of terrorists and General Andon's response to them, though he mused that it must really suck for Andon's men to be fighting in the middle of winter._

 _The snowstorm had caused a stalemate, hence why Diethard was stuck in Aomori for the time being. "The things I do for a good story," he murmured._

 _The only reason why he was even there was because there was no denying that General Andon's exploits made for an interesting story. There was also no denying that General Andon was practically legendary with his military prowess, the fact that he had the creation of two Areas under his belt, and the fact that it was only because of him that the terrorist problem in Area 11 hadn't gone completely out of control proved that. Many reporters would love to be able to document and report on such a prominent figure; Diethard was just lucky enough to have been given that chance._

 _"Hn, at least I'll have something on Quill when I get back," Diethard mused. His rival in the reporting world, Heather Quill, was back in Pendragon but Diethard had elected to join HiTV in Area 11 since he felt that there would be more stories to report on in the area with the most terrorist activity. And he had certainly found someone that he would enjoy documenting; General Andon was an elusive person and little was known about him but Diethard was determined to weasel out some information about him, even if it was only about the battle itself._

 _If only the weather would cooperate because General Andon sure wouldn't._

 _When Diethard had first arrived at Aomori before the battle even began, he had sought out Andon only for the Commander-in-Chief of the 11_ _th_ _Division, and current commander of the 2_ _nd_ _Regiment of the division, to tell him that he wasn't going to speak to the press and then had him kicked out of the G1 Base._

 _So Diethard was really just reporting on the situation based on what he could see from his vantage point. It was a shame he couldn't get closer and it was a shame that the battle was at a stalemate due to the storm now._

 _"You could try speaking to him now that there's a stalemate," hie assistant suggested._

 _"Hmm, I suppose I could," Diethard mused. It was worth a shot anyway._

 _Pulling on a thick jacket and tucking his recorder into his jacket's inner pocket, Diethard left the hotel and slowly began to make his way through the snowstorm. Thankfully, by this point, the snowstorm started to die down to where the blonde Britannian journalist could see where he was going._

 _The streets were as nearly empty as they had been when the storm began three hours ago and nothing got in his way as he headed toward where the G1 was parked; since he was in an area of the city that Britannia currently controlled and constantly patrolled, he wasn't bothered. The fact that he was as close to the G1 as he was helped._

 _When he reached the G1, he was honestly surprised to find the general he wanted to interview standing outside in the snow in a thick fur-lined jacket looking over a map laid out on a fold-out table beneath a pavilion laden with snow._

Braving the weather, eh? _Diethard mused as he approached. "General!" He called._

 _Andon looked toward him, his lips pulling into a frown. "I already stated that I wasn't going to speak to the press," he said._

 _"The people simply want more facts on what is happening," Diethard said. "Not to mention facts on someone as legendary as you. It will just be a brief interview so that the people can get to know the man who is the reason why the terrorist problem in Area 11 hasn't gotten completely out of control," He wasn't sure if stroking the Commander-in-Chief's ego would work but he was willing to give it a try._

 _The general snorted. "You're persistent, I'll give you that," he said. "Fine, I'll give you a brief interview but that's it."_

 _Diethard grinned._ Success, _he thought._

 **. . .**

 **23**

 **Across the Scarred Land**

 _July 17, 2016_

 _Hakodate, Hokkaido, Area 11_

Diethard really hadn't expected to get stuck in Hakodate. He had just been following up on a lead about the Liberators that led him to Hokkaido Island the same day that the Liberators took control of it. As a result, the reporter found himself stuck on the island. He had still sought out information with that lead he'd found but hadn't found much, forcing him to give up on the story he'd been pursuing.

Diethard had gone from writing articles in newspapers to broadcast journalism only a year earlier and started working as one of the top broadcast reporters at HiTV soon after he'd started. He soon found out that he enjoyed reporting news on TV more than writing about it. And he was good at it, something that caused his rival Heather Quill to bristle in irritation and jealousy. She was still the premier journalist out there though.

Being stuck in Hakodate meant that Diethard had a front row seat to the battle that occurred the day before and he had to admit he was impressed. It wasn't every day that someone was able to out-think the Liberators after all; even if this wasn't their full force—Diethard had enough connections in the military to be able to determine that only a third of the Liberators' forces on Hokkaido Island were at Hakodate—it was still impressive.

 _Just who was in charge of that battle?_

Diethard had come to Hokkaido Island looking for a story and had lost his chance to gain more information to give to the public about the Liberators. However, it seemed that fortune had decided to drop something else right into his lap. He just had to find out just who had successfully retaken the military base at Hakodate the day before.

He worried that they would be leaving soon though since he had a feeling that the regiment would be heading toward Sapporo next, since that was the Liberators' cell's stronghold at the moment, but he hoped that they would rest first. After all, it was a long journey to Sapporo, for one, and they had finished the rather one-sided battle rather late in the night, for another.

Leaving the hotel he was staying at, Diethard made his way toward where the G1 was parked, noting that the majority of the regiment were milling around even though it was eight in the morning. He was vaguely surprised to find that General Andon was there too standing alongside a familiar black-haired young man dressed and holding himself in a way to suggest he was royalty as he spoke to the familiar form of Margrave Gottwald at his side.

 _Lelouch vi Britannia, the lost prince of Britannia,_ Diethard thought. Even though the prince hadn't made an appearance when Prince Clovis had made the announcement of his survival back in March, Diethard had been present at the party Clovis had thrown in which Prince Lelouch was introduced to the nobility. He hadn't had the chance to meet the prince at the time though since he had to leave the party early; really, the only reason he was there was because he was the one who ensured that Clovis always looked good for the camera and helped write his speeches.

Diethard studied the prince curiously before turning his attention to Andon, wondering if Andon had been responsible for the win the day before. It wouldn't surprise him, honestly. He decided he may as well ask and introduce himself to the thought-to-be-dead prince while he was at it.

He made his way across the ground toward the prince and the general, though that caused Gottwald, who was the first to catch sight of him, to narrow his eyes, his hand going for his gun. Noticing the movement, Prince Lelouch and General Andon turned toward him.

"Diethard Ried, I'm surprised to find you here," Andon said neutrally.

"I got stuck here when the Liberators took over the city, General," Diethard said.

"Chasing another story? I hear you went into broadcast journalism recently," Andon said.

"Yes, about a year now," Diethard said and turned to the prince who was watching him with impassively curious amethyst eyes and bowed. "Your Highness, I am Diethard Ried. I work as a broadcast journalist for HiTV. It is an honor to meet you."

"It is nice to meet you as well, Mr. Ried," Prince Lelouch said calmly, inclining his head in greeting.

"What brings you here?" Andon asked.

"I witnessed the battle from yesterday," Diethard said simply. "Though if you were the one who led that battle, I am not surprised by the outcome."

"Hmm, my reputation certainly precedes me," Andon mused. "But it was not me who won yesterday. I am simply here as an observer. Prince Lelouch was the one who won it."

Diethard turned to the prince, raising an eyebrow. "Impressive," he said and meant it. For someone who had just barely returned to the royal family after over six years of living as a commoner and who didn't look like he was a day older than sixteen or seventeen, it was impressive that he would actually win against a fraction of the Liberators' Japanese cell. And if Prince Lelouch could win here, against a third of them, Diethard believed that it was possible for him to win against the rest of the cell's fighting force at Sapporo. After all, while he did not know the prince was behind the win the day before, he had witnessed it, had witnessed how the prince had somehow counteracted the terrorists' plan.

Not only that but, according to Diethard's connection that he'd spoken to after the battle, no one had escaped from the military base and that told the reporter that the terrorists in Sapporo were unaware of Britannia's presence on the island. That gave the prince an advantage.

"Winning against the Liberators is certainly no laughing matter," Diethard added, "even if it wasn't their full fighting force."

Prince Lelouch hummed in agreement. "I find it curious that you knew that when, as far as I know, only the military knew that the Liberators had split up their forces," he said.

"I have my ways," Diethard said simply. "Am I right to assume that you plan on going to Sapporo next?"

"And why would you like to know?"

"Your victory here today tells me that you actually stand a chance at winning against the rest of the Liberators' Eleven cell at Sapporo and I want to witness such an historic win and document it as an actual witness," Diethard said.

Prince Lelouch's eyebrows rose. "Are you truly that confident that I will win at Sapporo?" he asked.

"Are you not?"

The prince chuckled. "I believe I can win and that is enough," he said. "As I once told my brother, believing one can win helps to motivate that person to work hard to win. By your words, I suspect you wish to accompany me to Sapporo." It wasn't a question but Diethard answered anyway.

"If you would permit me to join you, that is," he said.

"Is that such a good idea?" Andon asked with narrowed eyes.

"I don't see why it wouldn't be. The public have the right to know what is happening and, so far, the military has been keeping them in the dark about what has been happening here on Hokkaido. The only people who know are those in the military and the people on Hokkaido."

Prince Lelouch's lips pressed together in thought. "So long as you stay out of the way, you may accompany me. I do not want any civilian causalities on my hands if I can help it," he said.

"Understood, Your Highness," Diethard said, biting his lip to keep from grinning.

"Are you sure about this, Your Highness?" Andon asked.

"Yes," Prince Lelouch said.

Just then, a small silvery-blue haired boy that was drenched from head-to-toe with his hair plastered to his head jogged over to join him and saluted. "Your Highness?" he said.

"What is…? Why are you drenched, Major?" Prince Lelouch asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Lieutenant Frost saw a snake...it's a long story. We've completed the sweep of the east quadrant as ordered. There are no signs of any terrorists hiding out. The citizens were very cooperative, those that were awake this early anyway, Your Highness," the Major said.

"Good work. Go ahead and take a break, and get dry. We will be heading out soon."

"Understood, Your Highness," the Major said, saluting again.

"I never expected the military to allow a twelve-year-old to join," Diethard mused.

Major Frost's eye twitched. "I'm seventeen," he growled.

"Oh, my bad."

 **. . .**

 _Abandoned Apartment, Shinjuku Ghetto_

... _She failed…_

"Of course she did. I did send warning after all," B.B. murmured as he typed on his computer, listening to Tara pace back and forth across the floor loudly complaining about her missed chance to kill the princess.

"It was that damn Kallen's fault," Tara raged. "If she hadn't shouted that warning, it would have worked. Damn her! Damn her to hell. And those bodyguards. They were always by the princess and I couldn't get close to her at all 'cause of that. It was almost as if they knew something was wrong. But how? How the hell would they have known that I was going to kill her?"

"You're making assumptions," B.B. said blandly, pulling up a news site on his computer and scanning the articles for anything remotely interesting. So far, nothing popped up other than Prince Lelouch's victory at Osaka. It made the Code Bearer wonder just where the prince had gone.

"How am I making assumptions?" Tara demanded, glaring at him.

He fixed cold amber eyes on her. "First of all, calm down before you wear a hole in the floor. Second of all, she's a princess and _everyone_ knows it. Is it really hard to believe that she would have bodyguards and that her bodyguards would be paranoid? It's not like a prince or princess hasn't been nearly assassinated before."

Tara growled and went back to pacing, running a frustrated hand through her hair. "What should I do know, B.B.?" she asked.

"Lay low. Don't draw attention to yourself. I have no doubt that the Britannians will be looking for you. Also, it might be a good idea to consider just stopping with this and find something else to occupy your time," B.B. said.

"Why should I? That princess is weak and can't fight back. I can easily take her out if only I could get close enough to her."

... _She is not a threat for that very reason. You really shouldn't have let her believe that the entire Royal Family was your enemy, Uncle. You should have told her that it's the ones with_ power _that are your enemy, as in those in the military or in politics, not a helpless disabled girl…_

"Yes, in hindsight, I probably should have," B.B. murmured.

"Hmm?" Tara glanced at him.

"Nothing. Tara, why are you so determined to kill Princess Nunnally?"

Tara glared. "You know the answer to that already, B.B. She's a member of the Royal Family! If I want revenge, I need to take out the Royal Family. You said as much," she said.

"I believe I said something along the lines of 'cut off the head of the snake and the body dies'."

"But if I can't get to the head then I should hack at the body until I can reach the head."

B.B. sighed. "But what has Princess Nunnally done to you?" he asked.

"...It doesn't matter what she's done! She's a princess. That's enough to justify my actions. You want the entire Royal Family dead too. You said as much," Tara said.

B.B. thought back to his previous conversations with Tara but couldn't recall ever telling Tara that he wanted the _entire_ Royal Family dead. He did want revenge but it wasn't against the _entire_ Royal Family; it was against those who would, unfortunately, get in the way of his goal of reaching the Emperor. That was why his and Tara's goals had been so similar; they were both after the head of the snake but had to hack at the body in order to reach the head. The only difference was that B.B. was only going after those who had power, in both the military or politics, and would thus be a threat to his plans to get revenge on the Emperor. Tara, on the other hand, was just blindly lashing out without pausing to differentiate between someone who was a true threat and someone who was only a perceived—as in, in her eyes—threat.

"I never said that, Tara," he said. He turned his attention to his computer and shut it down before standing up. "You want to take out the head of the snake, Tara, so why go after someone who has nothing to do with the head? Why not go after someone who does instead?"

"Of course she has something to do with the Emperor. She's his daughter!"

B.B.'s lips pressed together tightly. It seemed that was Tara's only argument and, judging by how many times she'd repeated that same excuse, it was clear that she was going to stick by it. "Not all children are like their parents," he said.

"But she's still a threat to my goal."

"How?"

Tara faltered.

"Exactly. You cannot think of a single reason for why Princess Nunnally is a threat. She's just an innocent disabled girl who hasn't done anything to warrant your anger. Didn't you ever wonder _why_ I never approved of your plan for Princess Nunnally?" B.B. didn't bother on waiting for Tara to respond; he would let her think about his words. Hopefully, they would get through to her.

If not then B.B. would just have to be privy to Tara's plans in order to give out warnings.

... _It's your own fault…_

"Shut up, Daniel," B.B. growled quietly as he walked over to the coat rack, since it was raining outside, and grabbed his coat. "It wasn't entirely my fault. I've been trying to fix that particular mistake but it hasn't worked."

... _It's probably because she's like Eva. You gotta be straight up with her or she won't listen to you…_

"Yeah, I suppose. I'm heading out. Don't burn down the apartment while I'm gone," B.B. added the last part to Tara before slipping out of the apartment before Tara could respond.

 **. . .**

 _Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement_

Prince Clovis rubbed his head as he read through the report that he had just received from the Department of Investigations that he'd contacted to try and find Nunnally's assassin. They had gotten a hold of all the recordings from the surveillance cameras within the Student Council Clubhouse but, unfortunately, the ballroom was too filled and the person who fired the shot had been quick to use the mass of people to hide themselves.

The red-head that had shouted out that warning had also been interviewed but, unfortunately, hadn't gotten a good look at the assassin. She had only seen the gun being pointed at Nunnally and had called out a warning. The orange-haired girl hadn't been able to give much information either. It seemed that there wasn't much to go on in terms of finding the assassin.

Clovis stayed true to his word to Nunnally though and had sent more guards to ensure his little half-sister's safety. While he had instructed them to not interfere with the daily goings of the school, he did order them to do whatever they must to ensure Nunnally's safety.

Putting down the report, Clovis hummed in thought and he briefly wondered just how Lelouch would react to this and sighed. "I kinda feel sorry for the assassin if Lelouch ever finds out about this, if he doesn't already know," he mused. He knew just as well as anyone of just how protective of Nunnally Lelouch was.

At least she was all right so that was good.

A knock sounded on the door and Clovis glanced toward it. "Come in," he called and Bartley stepped into the room, bowing in greeting. "Ah, General Bartley, have you got the most recent report on the girl?"

It wasn't just Nunnally's assassin that Clovis was focusing on; he was also still attempting to get that green-haired girl to give up the information he knew she knew; the power that she had...if only he could gain it than he could prove himself worthy. He had been studying that girl for so long and yet he hadn't found out anything new beyond how powerful her regenerative abilities were and that she couldn't die through physical means. The tests he had his scientists perform today would determine whether she was immune to poisons.

"None of the most recent tests the scientists have tried on her have worked," Bartley said, looking at the paper he held in his hand. "According to the scientists, her regenerative abilities also gives her an incredible immune system that allows her to process poisons very quickly to the point that they are destroyed before they can affect her, even the fast-acting ones."

Clovis hummed. "Not even the fast-acting ones? Hmm. All right, put that report in with the others," he said.

"Yes, Your Highness," Bartley said with a bow before he turned and left the office.

As the door closed behind him, Clovis sighed and leaned back in his chair. "The girl's incredible and yet so blatantly stubborn. I just wish she would agree to work with me already," he muttered.

His phone rang at that moment and Clovis reached over before picking it up. "Yes?" he said.

" _Your Highness, we may have found something,_ " the voice of the head of the Department of Investigations, Detective Gray, said. " _A suspicious figure was seen outside of Ashford Academy while the students were entering the school for the dance. We believe he might have been an accomplice of sorts. Miss Stadtfeld said that she was given a warning by a man who claimed to be the uncle of one of the students and told Mr. Storm that she felt it rather suspicious. This man may know the identity of the assassin._ "

"Then find him," Clovis said.

" _Unfortunately, we only have what he looks like and his description isn't matching anyone in our database. We'll keep looking and alert you when we find someone,_ " Gray said.

"You do that," Clovis said.

" _Yes, Your Highness._ "

 **. . .**

 _East Wing, Student Council Clubhouse_

Nina knocked on the door to the East Wing, shifting her grip on the bag that she was carrying in her arms. She really felt bad for Nunnally and had to agree with the rest of the Student Council when they spoke about how they couldn't believe someone would want to kill Nunnally. She didn't know who had done it anymore than anyone else did but she hoped that the police would find the assassin before they tried again.

Now, since it was Sunday and they didn't have school, Nina had decided to check up on Nunnally. The rest of the Student Council haven't seen her all day and they were getting worried so Nina volunteered to go check on her; she was carrying a bag of sweets that Kallen and Shirley had comprised in the hope of cheering Nunnally up.

"Who is it?" a stern feminine voice demanded from the other side.

"It's...um...Nina Einstein from the Student Council. I'm here to see Nunnally," Nina called back, knowing that, since the assassination attempt, Nunnally had a bodyguard with her at all times, even in the East Wing, despite that probably being the safest place for her.

There was a moment of silence, then the door clicked open and a stern-looking black-haired woman stepped aside. "She is in the living room," she said as Nina made her way into the room. She closed the door behind Nina and pointed to the bag. "I will have to check that first."

Knowing she was just being cautious, Nina handed the bag over. "It's just some sweets that Shirley and Kallen got for her," she said as the bodyguard searched through the bag, checking that all the sweets were still sealed in their packaging.

Finally, she handed the bag back and said, "It's safe. Your Highness, you have a guest, a Miss Nina Einstein."

"Thank you, Brianna," Nunnally said and Nina, once again carrying the bag of sweets, walked into the living room where Nunnally seated on her wheelchair, removing the earbuds from the radio that she was listening to.

"Hey, Nunnally," Nina greeted her quietly as she took a seat on the couch. "Shirley and Kallen got these for you. Um, there're some cherry pies in there and brownies and cookies, um, I doubt as good as the ones Lelouch makes but they're still pretty good."

Nunnally smiled softly as she reached into the bag Nina had placed on her lap and pulled out a wrapped cherry pie. "Thank you," she said softly. "And thank Shirley and Kallen for me."

"I will." Nina fell silent for a long moment, then asked hesitantly, "Um, are you okay? I mean..." She trailed off, unsure of just what to say. It wasn't as if she's ever had to deal with this kind of thing before; never before has royalty attended Ashford Academy, and never before has said royal figure actually been a good friend of Nina's before Nina even knew they were royal.

"I'm okay," Nunnally said, turning the cherry pie around in her hands but not opening it yet. "Talking with you, the rest of the Student Council, and Brother Clovis helped a lot. I mean...I doubt I'm gonna just get over it right away, since it did just happen yesterday but...it's over and no one got hurt so..." She trailed off, then added, "Nina, do you think that this assassin tried to kill me just because I'm royalty?"

Nina bit her lip. "While, um, I hate to admit it but...um, I don't see any other reason why they would try to kill you," she said softly.

"Now I know why Big Brother was always so scared about our royal heritage being revealed," Nunnally whispered. She bit her lip and then added, "Nina...how do you think Big Brother's gonna react to this?"

Nina knew that if Lelouch were to find out his little sister had nearly been assassinated, he was going to be furious, to put it mildly, and, frankly, Nina kind of pitied the assassin who tried to kill Nunnally. Hell hath no fury like an overprotective older brother whose little sister was almost killed. "He's not gonna be happy, to put it mildly," she said.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that. I kinda...don't wanna tell him, Nina, because...well...he's got so much on his plate right with his duties to the military and I just...I don't wanna add to that," Nunnally said softly and finally decided to open the cherry pie she was still holding in her hands. "Do you think he already knows?"

"I don't know. It's been day, so um, I guess it's possible," Nina said.

"Mistress Nunnally, you might want to listen to this," Sayoko said as she made her way quickly into the living room, picking up the remote and switching it to a news station before turning up the volume.

Nunnally turned toward the TV and Nina followed suit. When Nina saw the headline on the TV screen, her eyes went wide. _How did this happen?_

 **. . .**

 _Lelouch's Office, G1, En Route to Sapporo_

Lelouch was seated behind his desk, looking through reports and the information he had on the Liberators. It was early afternoon, a few hours since he and the rest of the 11th Regiment had left Hakodate but, as they were taking it slow to avoid alerting the enemy to their movements, they still had several hours to go. Scattered throughout his office were his Royal Guard, along with Suzaku who was talking with Tadashi nearby. General Andon was also there, seated in an armchair, and watching the last member of the group: Diethard Ried.

"Is it really necessary for you to be here, Mr. Ried?" Andon asked.

Diethard glanced up. "I'm simply here to profile His Highness for the piece. I have no doubt the people are most curious about the formerly lost Eleventh Prince and he has refused, many times, to speak to the public since his return," he said.

"Primarily because I've been too busy to speak to the public," Lelouch said, not taking his eyes off the documents. "And I still am too busy for a proper interview, Mr. Ried. I agreed to answer some of your questions while we're en route to Sapporo and that's it."

"That's fine, that's fine. I have no doubt the people will be satisfied with even a little bit of information about you," Diethard said. "So might I start the questions now?"

Lelouch lifted his head from the report he was reading and was about to respond when Dimitri suddenly gasped. "Your Highness, you have to see this," he said.

"What is it?" Lelouch asked.

Dimitri walked over to the desk and placed the laptop in front of Lelouch who looked at the headline that was on the screen, his eyes widening and his face going white with horror as he read the it.

 _Princess Nunnally vi Britannia Nearly Killed! Is Ashford Academy As Safe As It Claims?_

"Um, Your Highness, are you okay?" Rayne asked concerned.

Lelouch didn't seem to have heard her. The shock and horror on his face had been replaced by dark icy rage. The only thing that was keeping him from leaving and returning to the Tokyo Settlement to hunt down and kill whoever tried to kill his precious little sister was the man seated in the armchair across the room.

When Andon was keeping him under surveillance for the Emperor, Lelouch knew he couldn't do a damn thing.

And he couldn't afford to rush into the battle that was too take place at Sapporo rashly because of the fact that he was under surveillance.

He knew that this was a test. If he failed to defeat the Liberators then the Emperor would likely deem him useless and Nunnally would be in danger.

And Lelouch refused to allow Nunnally to be in danger from that bastard ever again.

That did not mean that he wanted her to be the target of an assassin though. He may not be able to do anything but he had to find someone who could; he had to find someone who would be able to protect Nunnally and, perhaps, attempt to track down whoever tried to kill her.

If anything, he had to find someone to ensure that this didn't happen again.

Especially since he couldn't do a damn thing.

"Nunnally..." Suzaku whispered, eyes wide with horror.

"My princess...how could this be?" Jeremiah exclaimed, staring in utter shock at the screen.

He slammed his fists into the desk in front of him, ignoring the way everyone was looking at him. Everyone shivered at the dark look on his face and the icy rage that glittered in his eyes; it was clear that if the assassin was there right now then he or she would be dead twenty times over.

He kept his thoughts to himself, very much aware of the way Andon was studying him closely. He gave Andon a cool look, forcing the rage to die down and covering his face with apathetic iciness. He forced himself to reach for his phone, deciding that the only thing he really could do now was check on his little sister.

He hated it but, with the Emperor's pet watchdog keeping an eye on him and likely reporting his behavior back to him, he had to do this.

He couldn't afford to be seen as weak and useless in the Emperor's eyes.

He dialed Sayoko's number, noticing the way his Royal Guard were eyeing him warily as if they were expecting him to explode from rage or something. No. He wasn't going to do that. No matter how enraged he was, he didn't explode from it; he simmered within, an icy rage that he was able to keep contained.

And only because releasing it would put Nunnally into even more danger than she was apparently already in.

Sayoko's familiar voice sounded on the other end. " _Hello?_ "

"Sayoko, put Nunnally on the phone now," Lelouch said, managing to keep his anger out of his voice but it did still remain icy.

" _Yes, Master Lelouch,_ " Sayoko said and, a moment later, Nunnally's familiar voice sounded over the phone.

" _Big Brother?_ " she said.

"Nunnally, are you all right? What happened?" Lelouch asked, the iciness melting into a warm tone in an instant upon hearing his beloved little sister's voice.

" _I'm okay, Big Brother, I'm okay. Kallen warned me and Shirley got me out of the way just in time,_ " Nunnally said and the reassuring tone in her voice helped Lelouch to slowly calm down and his panic began to ease. " _You saw the news, didn't you?_ "

"Yes. I'm relieved you're all right, Nunnally," Lelouch said. "What happened?"

" _No one's entirely sure. Brother Clovis called a little while ago and said that they were searching for a potential suspect but, so far, they haven't found any leads. I don't know how the media found out what happened though. Only those in the clubhouse, my bodyguards, Brother Clovis, and the investigators knew about it._ "

Lelouch's lips pressed together tightly. "I suspect there may have been a leak somewhere. But you're safe, right?" he asked.

" _Yeah, I'm safe, Big Brother. Brother Clovis had more security placed around Ashford and I have a bodyguard with me practically at all times. Don't worry about me, Big Brother,_ " Nunnally said reassuringly.

Lelouch didn't want to relax but he forced him to. "Take care of yourself, Nunnally," he said.

" _I will. I'll be okay, Big Brother. Don't worry about me,_ " Nunnally repeated firmly before adding quietly, " _You're probably very busy so I'll let you go now. Bye, Big Brother, I love you._ "

"I love you too, Nunnally, and give my thanks to both Shirley and Kallen for helping you out yesterday," Lelouch said.

" _I will._ " There was a _click_ as Nunnally hung up and Lelouch put his phone down.

"Is she all right, Your Highness?" Jeremiah asked.

Lelouch nodded. "Though I'm more concerned with how this got leaked into the media. Now everyone knows where Nunnally is located and that was something Clovis and I were trying hard to ensure didn't happen since she hasn't made her public debut yet," he said.

 **. . .**

 _Sapporo, Hokkaido, Area 11_

Michal turned down the volume of the TV he was watching as the news reporter continued to talk about the assassination attempt made against Princess Nunnally the day before. His computer was beeping, indicating that he had an incoming video chat request. Turning his chair to his computer, Michal accepted the request and watched as Unity's image appeared on the screen, though another man was standing beside him. The man was tall with short-cropped blue hair framing his face and nearly-black eyes.

"Nightfall? When did you get back from the Chinese Federation?" he asked curiously.

" _Only yesterday,_ " Nightfall said simply, his dark eyes narrowing. " _I also just learned about our organization's loss to Prince Schneizel and still wonder why no one_ "—here, he glared at Unity—" _thought to tell me about it earlier._ "

" _As I've already explained to you, Nightfall, there was nothing you could've done,_ " Unity said irritably and then turned his attention to Michal. " _But that's not why I contacted you. Have you seen the most recent news report?_ "

"The one about Princess Nunnally? Yeah, I saw it. It's on every news station. I take it it's reached the EU then," Michal said.

" _And likely Pendragon as well,_ " Nightfall said. " _Yeah, she nearly got killed. Who the fuck cares? I'd be more interested if they actually succeeded. What's so important about this princess, Unity?_ "

" _She's the little sister of Prince Lelouch vi Britannia,_ " Unity said as if that explained everything, which it didn't.

" _You mean, the newest commander of the 11_ _th_ _Regiment who successfully defeated those fools that were part of the Crimson Sakuras, and succeeded in getting a couple of our followers arrested, even if one did end up escaping the Britannians' custody?_ "

" _Yes._ "

" _Why should we care that we now know the location of Princess Nunnally? She's not a threat to our goals,_ " Nightfall said. " _Unless you want to try to succeed where that last assassin failed. Now that's fucking stupid. Killing on the battlefield is one thing, and enjoyable at that, killing someone who is not on the battlefield would make you a fucking idiot._ "

Michal bristled at Nightfall's tone and his words. He always knew that Nightfall was a bit psychotic— _perhaps that is an understatement—_ but to hear him mention how _enjoyable_ it was to kill just made it hit home all the harder.

Unity simply raised an eyebrow. " _Do you honestly think I would do something so stupid? I haven't led the Liberators on a near undefeated streak by being stupid now have I?_ "

" _Tch, and yet you still lost,_ " Nightfall said, sounding smug and Michal had the sudden urge to smack the irritating second in command of the Liberators. There was no denying that he didn't like Nightfall and couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why Unity trusted Nightfall as much as he did. There was just something about Nightfall that rubbed Michal the wrong way, other than his rather psychotic tendencies on the battlefield. Perhaps, it had to do with the fact that Nightfall had been in the Chinese Federation for the past _year_ with little to no contact with the rest of the organization and no one knew just what he was doing there.

" _I underestimated Prince Schneizel. It will not happen again,_ " Unity said simply. " _Anyway, the point of this meeting was not to discuss what happened in Cambodia. Actually, there are a few points to this meeting. The first was to discuss the recent news involving Princess Nunnally._ "

" _What's so fucking important about her? So what if she's the little sister of the commander of the 11_ _th_ _Regiment,_ " Nightfall said irritably.

Michal glowered at Nightfall, especially since he couldn't disagree with him. "However much I really _hate_ to admit it, I agree with Nightfall. Why is the princess so important?"

" _It's not the princess that's important, it's that what happened to her can help us in learning more about her brother,_ " Unity said. " _Tell me, Michal, if you found out that your sister was nearly killed while you were away, what would you do?_ "

"I don't have a sister."

" _Fucking moron, he was speaking hypothetically,_ " Nightfall sneered.

The urge to smack Nightfall was quickly turning into the urge to strangle him.

"Well, hypothetically, if my sister was nearly killed while I was away, I would probably just call her to reassure myself that she's all right," Michal said.

" _Naturally. However, if you're a protective older brother who would willingly injure someone who hurt your little sister and found out your little sister had nearly been killed, then what would you do?_ "

Michal frowned and then he remembered. "Ah, you're referring to Cherry's report?" he said since Cherry, also known as Naora though she was spoken of by her nickname during these talks for security reasons, was the woman whom had managed to escape from Britannia's custody at the military base at Osaka a few hours after the 11th Regiment left. She had reported on what happened with Murkami Hozumi, who was still in Britannia's custody.

" _Yes. Now answer the question: what would you do?_ "

Michal pressed his lips together. "I'd probably drop everything and get to my sister's side or actively hunt down the person who tried to kill her and kill him or her myself," he said. He paused and added, "Or both."

" _Yes. With that in mind, do you believe Prince Lelouch would do the same thing?_ "

"Well, from what we've found out about him from Cherry, I'd say so, yeah. Why's that important?"

" _Yeah, I'm fucking lost myself,_ " Nightfall said.

 _Must you cuss so much?_

" _Prince Lelouch is in charge of the 11_ _th_ _Regiment as we all know; however, one of the spies that I have within the 11_ _th_ _Division has told me that General Andon joined with Prince Lelouch and the 11_ _th_ _Regiment at Osaka. General Andon is in charge of eradicating the terrorist threat in Area 11, as we all know, so it's a safe bet to assume that General Andon will be coming after us now that we've taken control of Hokkaido, yes?_ "

"Yeah..." Michal was still lost on how that had anything to do with Prince Lelouch.

" _Would you get to the fucking point already?_ " Nightfall said irritably.

" _Let me ask you this, if General Andon is in charge of eradicating the terrorist threat in Area 11 and we can safely assume that he will be coming after us now that we've taken control of Hokkaido, why did he join with Prince Lelouch and the 11_ _th_ _Regiment? Also, if it was to use that regiment against us, why did he choose a regiment that was stationed at_ Osaka _who just recently finished two battle back-to-back when there are regiments that are much closer whom haven't been in battle recently?_ "

Michal frowned. "You know you're right, that is odd. I mean I know, for a fact, that the 4th Regiment and the 6th Regiment are stationed at Hirosaki and Akita respectively. They haven't been in a battle in months, as far as I know anyway, and they're much closer," he said.

" _Exactly,_ " Unity said with a nod.

" _I'm still not getting the fucking point,_ " Nightfall growled, sounding confused and irritated.

"Yeah, I gotta admit that, while that's intriguing, I don't get the point either," Michal said with a frown.

" _General Andon is in charge of eradicating the terrorist threat. He is the one we would assume would come after us because of that and yet he joins Prince Lelouch instead. Prince Lelouch, even though he has two wins under his belt, is still an inexperienced new military commander. He is also the son of the Emperor of a country whose system is based on the idea of the strong devouring the weak, thus it is very likely that the Emperor would want Prince Lelouch to be a strong military commander._ "

" _Gah! Stop beating around the fucking bush already!_ " Nightfall exclaimed.

Unity let out an exasperated sigh. " _I'm getting there, Nightfall. Patience! The point I've been trying to make is what would be a better way of testing whether Prince Lelouch is a strong military commander than to pit him against a cell of a nearly undefeated organization?_ "

There was a long moment of silence, then: " _You don't honestly believe General Andon would have an inexperienced_ teenaged _military commander go against us, do you? That's fucking stupid!_ " Nightfall exclaimed.

"And yet you're right, Unity, it would be a test of Prince Lelouch's strength as a military commander," Michal said thoughtfully. "Fighting against us can make or break him and his reputation; if he loses than not only would what little a reputation he's managed to gather be destroyed but he would also be seen as weak in the Emperor's eyes; however, if he, somehow, manages to pull off a victory..."

" _Not fucking likely,_ " Nightfall snorted.

"...then not only would he, likely, be seen as a strong military commander in the Emperor's eyes but his reputation would also skyrocket," Michal finished, glaring at Nightfall for the interruption.

" _Exactly,_ " Unity said with a nod.

" _And what does this have to do with what happened to his little sister?_ " Nightfall asked.

" _Simple. It may, and the keyword here is_ may _, make him more prone to mistakes, whether he knows this is a test of sorts or not._ "

Nightfall started laughing, a creepy laugh that caused Michal to shiver despite himself. " _If that's the case then we can crush the 11_ _th_ _Regiment easily. There's no way such an inexperienced teenager, who's also emotionally compromised, can defeat us! And, while we're at it, we can take out General Andon! Finally, we can get that thorn in our side out of the way,_ " he said gleefully, dark eyes alit with satisfaction.

"While I agree that we will have an advantage over Prince Lelouch and may, very well, be able to finally get General Andon out of the way, is it really a good idea to underestimate him?" Michal asked with a frown.

" _I don't deny that underestimating Prince Lelouch is not something we can do, especially when we only know so much about what kind of military commander he's like. I and Adam had, unfortunately, done that with Schneizel and we lost. However, while underestimating any child of the Emperor is not something we should do, we do have some things that Prince Lelouch doesn't,_ " Unity said. " _We have military experience, for one, and we have Amber who has prevented knowledge of our strategy from being put together, for another._ "

" _A talented hacker could retrieve old versions of the documents,_ " Nightfall said nonchalantly. " _Not that I expect the teenaged brat to be able to put two-and-two together even if he_ did _have all the complete reports._ "

"What should I do?" Michal asked. "Should I keep with with our strategy or should I try something else?"

" _Tch, why should we change something that's been working—Schneizel's victory notwithstanding—just because there's a_ chance _that the prince has gotten his hands on unaltered reports?_ " Nightfall said with a snort.

" _I have to agree with Nightfall. Even if he has figured it out, there is no guarantee that he'll be able to counter it,_ " Unity said. " _Just continue using our strategy._ "

"Yes, sir," Michal said.

" _By the way, where's Reyes?_ "

"Attempting to salvage the situation with that resistance that formed in the Shinjuku Ghetto. It's not going well," Michal said.

" _What's this? Did Reyes fuck up something?_ " Nightfall sounded incredibly amused. Nightfall hated Reyes, though Michal didn't know why.

" _We were going to recruit a small resistance cell that cropped up in the Shinjuku Ghetto; however, when the Britannian Military discovered the meeting between Reyes and the resistance cell's leader, Reyes abandoned them. As a result, I'm not sure if we'll be able to regain their trust,_ " Unity said.

Nightfall started snickering. " _Ahahaha, finally the perfect bastard has fucked up! I never thought I'd live to see the day!_ " he said with a grin.

Unity sighed but said nothing in response to Nightfall's reaction while Michal continued to wonder why Unity chose Nightfall to be his second in command. He definitely had a few screws loose.

" _You should begin assessing and preparing for an assault by the 11_ _th_ _Regiment, Michal. We will be sending the rest of the Lupi as you requested soon," Unity said._

"I will and okay," Michal replied and, after discussing a few more important matters with the leader and deputy of the Liberators, he ended the call and began his preparations.

 **. . .**

 _Lelouch's Office, G1 Base, Southwest of the Tomakomai Settlement_

It was evening. The 11th Regiment were just southwest of the Tomakomai Settlement where Lelouch had called a halt to rest and prepare for the final leg of the journey. As they were drawing nearer to Sapporo, Lelouch wanted to ensure that the Liberators stationed at Sapporo were still unaware of his approach; thus, he sent Stonewell and a small team that he let her create ahead to scout out the rest of the leg of their journey. While he waited for them to return with news on what to expect, he was sorting through the information while contemplating going out and getting some fresh air. The office was starting to get stuffy.

Frankly, however, he was also throwing himself into his work to try to get his mind off Nunnally. He couldn't afford to worry about her with his battle with the Liberators coming up as quickly as it was.

He always kept in mind that he was under surveillance and he could not show weakness. The Emperor already knew that Nunnally was his weakness but if he proved that he could get through this battle, and _win_ this battle, even after finding out about what happened to Nunnally then that would prove that he wasn't weak.

He needed to show his strength to the Emperor in order to keep Nunnally safe. That was all there was to it.

So, unfortunately, that meant that he had no choice but to rely on others to keep Nunnally safe.

He didn't really like it but he didn't have a choice and he knew it.

Scattered throughout his office was his Royal Guard, either talking quietly with each other, reading one of the books that he'd gotten from Tomakomai while on leave—Kay—or flipping through the channels on the television—Tadashi. General Andon was, currently, reporting to the Emperor and Schneizel so he wasn't there.

"Hey, Lelouch, can I ask ya something?" Tadashi asked, causing Lelouch to look up from the report he was reading.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Well, I was gonna ask ya while we were in Aomori but I kinda forgot. Anyway, I was wondering: why didn't ya ask Suzaku to be part of your Royal Guard?" Tadashi asked.

"I've been wondering that myself," Rayne admitted, looking up from the conversation she was having with Lila.

Lelouch blinked at them, surprised. He knew that he told Suzaku that he didn't want knowledge of him choosing Suzaku as his Knight of Honor to become public knowledge but he would've thought that Suzaku would've told his friends at least. After all, Lelouch was sure that they wouldn't tell anyone.

"Yeah, since he did save your life more than once and you're old friends," Tadashi added.

"That is true," Lelouch said. "And there is no denying that I trust him more than anyone, no offense to any of you but we went through too much to _not_ build up a strong bond of trust." He pushed the memories of the invasion out of his mind. He couldn't start thinking about that, star remembering what happened during the invasion, when he already had the assassination attempt made against Nunnally on his mind. He needed to have clear head and needed to think rationally or else he would likely make a fatal mistake, and that was not something he could afford to do in his position. So he focused on answering Tadashi's question and getting his mind off his memories. "I didn't ask Suzaku to join my Royal Guard for precisely that reason."

"Um, what?" Rayne looked as confused as everyone else.

"I trust him more than anyone. That is why, instead of asking him to join my Royal Guard, I chose him to be my Knight of Honor," Lelouch said simply.

There was a long moment of shocked silence. Jeremiah started, whipping his head around to stare at Lelouch like he'd grown a second head, Kay looked up sharply in surprise as did Lila and Dimitri while Rayne's jaw dropped.

The only one who wasn't surprised was Tadashi. "Why're you guys so shocked?" the burnt-orange-haired young man asked in confusion. "What's a Knight of Honor?"

Kay turned to Tadashi, saving his spot in his book and tucking it between his thigh and the armrest. "A Knight of Honor is the personal Knight of a prince or princess, chosen by said prince or princess. They are loyal _only_ to their prince or princess and protect and defend them with their lives if necessary. It is also the second highest honor that a member of the military who's not part of the Royal Family can obtain," he said.

"Whoa," Tadashi said. "That's great! I'm sure Suzaku's proud to be chosen to receive such an honor!"

"He likely is," Rayne said with a nod.

"You cannot tell anyone however," Lelouch said.

"Why not?" Tadashi asked confused.

"Non-Britannians have _never_ been chosen to be a prince or princess's Knight of Honor," Jeremiah explained before Lelouch could while studying the prince as if attempting to figure out why Lelouch had made that decision since Lelouch knew that policy just as well as any Britannian. "While there is no law against it, it is against Britannia's policy of discrimination."

"And, because of this, Suzaku would be in danger should this ever leak out into the public," Lelouch said. "The Britannians aren't going to like my decision, I know this, but they may decide to take it out on him and, as long as he is only an _unofficial_ knight, they could get away with it. That is why I'm only letting those I trust know this in order to keep him safe until the ceremony."

"What's to stop people from harming him after the ceremony?" Tadashi asked.

"It's law," Rayne was the one who responded this time. "An attack on an official Knight of Honor is seen as an attack on their prince or princess and, 'cause of that, it's seen, by law, as high treason against the Royal Family."

Tadashi whistled. "Wow. So, basically speaking, as soon as Suzaku's officially Knighted, he's basically as untouchable as Lelouch is," he said.

"Basically, yes," Lelouch said. He glanced at the reports and frowned to himself. The stuffiness of the room was still present and it didn't seem as if those reports or talking with his Royal Guard were helping him get his mind off his memories or what happened earlier.

He had been contemplating getting some fresh air earlier and decided that he would do that.

He stood up, stretching and his Royal Guard glanced at him. "I'm going to get some fresh air," he said.

"We'll accompany you," Jeremiah said, glancing at the rest of the Royal Guard who stood up as well.

"Fresh air sounds nice anyway. It was getting stuffy in here," Rayne said. "I hope it doesn't rain."

"Five bucks says she jinxed it," Kay murmured to Tadashi who snickered.

"Deal," the Honorary Britannian murmured back.

 **. . .**

 _Outside, Southwest of the Tomakomai Settlement_

"I can't wait to see my baby's true weapons in action," Lloyd said giddily as Suzaku walked into the control room, clad in his white pilot suit and wiping the sweat from his forehead after the tests that Lloyd had him perform. He had to admit that he was also looking forward to seeing just how the MVSs did in actual combat. They seemed like powerful weapons.

"I don't think the Liberators are going to be expecting it," Cecile commented. "That should give His Highness an advantage."

"Oh, my baby being used as a secret weapon. I like it, though, once it's revealed, I hope this means that it'll get to see more action," Lloyd said happily while Suzaku chuckled softly in amusement.

"You can go and get some fresh air if you want, Suzaku. I think we're done for now," Cecile said, glancing at Lloyd who, moving over to the monitors, waved at him to go.

"Um, sure, just give me a call if you need me for anything, Cecile," Suzaku said.

"We will," Cecile said and Suzaku walked out of the mobile base.

He gazed around, noticing he wasn't the only one who was getting some fresh air. The sky was overcast though, and a light sprinkle of rain was falling from the sky. Even with the light rain, there were still many people outside. Lelouch was along with his Royal Guard. Rayne was glaring at the sky while Kay was smirking as Tadashi handed him a bill and Lila was shaking her head in exasperation.

Tadashi looked up and grinned brightly. "Suzaku! Come and join us," he shouted, running across the field to join a startled Suzaku who blinked but followed Tadashi as the burnt-orange-haired young man led him back to join Lelouch and the rest of his Royal Guard.

"Your Highness," Suzaku greeted Lelouch.

"Warrant Officer," Lelouch replied simply.

"By the way, Suzaku, I wanted to congratulate you," Tadashi said, keeping his voice low so that only Suzaku, Lelouch, and the rest of Lelouch's Royal Guard could hear him.

"Congratulate me? On what?" the _Lancelot_ pilot said in confusion.

"On becoming, or soon to be becoming, Lelouch's Knight of Honor," Tadashi said with a bright grin as he smacked a shocked Suzaku on the shoulder. "Congrats again!"

Suzaku just blinked before he turned to Lelouch. "You told them?" he said in surprise.

"I don't see why you didn't," he said. "I never told you that you couldn't tell anyone."

Suzaku bit his lip. That was true. Lelouch had only said that it wasn't a good idea for the public to know before the ceremony. He could have told his friends, except that he supposed he was worried of how they would react. Tadashi seemed to be supporting him but he wasn't sure about the others.

"I gotta say I'm not surprised that Lelouch chose you, Suzaku. Congrats," Rayne said with a smile.

"Yeah, if anyone deserves this honor, it's you," Kay said.

"You have saved his life twice already and he told us that he trusts you more than anyone after all," Lila said.

"If His Highness trusts you then I trust his judgment," Dimitri said simply.

Suzaku smiled a little, more than a little relieved to know that his friends supported his appointment. He had been worried that they wouldn't care for it because he was a Number and Numbers normally didn't get these kinds of promotions. He'd expected them to react the same way any other Britannian likely would have reacted but he supposed that he had jumped to that conclusion based on how most Britannians used to treat him. That wasn't a good thing and he felt a little bad for automatically making that assumption.

He didn't say that thought, deciding to take his worries and his assumptions and burying them. "Thank you," he said softly.

"Your Highness!" A voice called out and Lelouch turned to find Stonewell jogging toward them.

"Yes?" he said as Stonewell came to a stop in front of him and saluted.

"We managed to get to the outskirts of Sapporo and even scouted out the forests lining the road and there are no defenses along the road leading to the city or in the surrounding forests. The city, itself, seems deserted from what we could see but we didn't get close enough to see if it really was. I also found an abandoned military base that we can use as a starting point; it's about two miles from the edge of the city itself," Stonewell reported.

"Good work," Lelouch said and turned to look at Jeremiah, his face set in determination. "Margrave, gather the men. We march on Sapporo in thirty minutes."

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: ugh. Having so many ideas is irritating.** **Seriously, I have a total of four ideas for** _ **Code Geass**_ **right now. Why do I always do this? Come up with so many ideas that is.**

 **Bakura: because you're an idiot**

 **Nunnally: I don't think that's a very nice thing to call someone**

 **Bakura: (glares at Nunnally) who the hell cares what you think?**

 **Nunnally: (tears up)**

 **Suzaku, Kallen, Euphie,** **and** **Cornelia: he made Nunnally cry...** _ **shit!**_ **(Bolt for the city closet and disappear in** **side it)**

 **Lelouch: (bursts into computer room armed with a bazooka, a flaming machete, a bow with poisoned arrows, a freezing chainsaw, and a lightsaber)** _ **who the hell made my little sister cry?**_

 **Schneizel: Bakura did**

 **Lelouch: (turns weapons on Bakura and glares at him)**

 **Blaze: y** **ou made Nunnally cry. You're on your own**

 **Bakura: FUCK! (Takes off running)**

 **Lelouch: (chases after Bakura** **)**

 **Schneizel: (blinks) when did Lelouch get that much stamina?**

 **Blaze: Kallen, Tohdoh, and Suzaku are training him**

 **Schneizel: I see**

 **Blaze: anyway, I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	24. So Strikes the Tempest

**And here is the first of two updates in the month of April.**

 **This is part one of the battle. Considering I spent three** _ **months**_ **coming up with the strategy/counter-strategy—and by this I mean actually writing it out. Coming up with the counter strategy hadn't been that hard. It was writing it that was the hard part—I really** _ **really**_ **hope you enjoy it.**

 **Anyway, thank you to** _ **Blacksword Zero, Adamantium-Soldier74, DYnoJackal19, OBSERVER01, TC9078, B-Kira, Guest, DarthMaine, Shadow-Shinobi666,**_ **and** _ **Shimmering-Sky**_ **for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

 **Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _January 11, 2014_

 _Hidden Base, Island of Olkhon, Europia United_

 _Michal made his way down the hallway toward the main conference room, bypassing other members of the Liberators who waved at him or called out greetings. He responded in turn and, rounding the corner, came to a stop outside the conference room. Raising a hand, he knocked._

 _"Come in," Unity's voice called and Michal opened the door before stepping into the room, noticing that Reyes was there as was Nightfall and they were glaring at each other._

 _"You took your sweet ol' fucking time. Why the hell do I have to be here with_ him _anyway?" Nightfall complained, pointing at Reyes who sneered at him._

 _"Can't say I'm thrilled to be here with you either,_ gilipollas, _" Reyes retorted._

 _"Why you…?" Nightfall launched himself across the table and both he and Reyes went down in a tangle of limbs._

 _Unity let out a long exasperated sigh as he stood up while Nightfall and Reyes rolled on the floor of the conference room, hitting each other with punches and scratches. "Michal, help me separate them," he said._

 _Michal nodded and the two of them moved over to the fighting Liberators. Michal grabbed Reyes while Unity grabbed Nightfall and quickly separated them, Nightfall unleashing a full rant of curse words while Reyes shouted his own curses, in Spanish, back at Nightfall._

 _"Calm down, you two, and act your age," Unity said._

 _It took a few minutes but, finally, Nightfall and Reyes calmed down and retook their seats, though they were still glaring at each other._

 _"Anyway, back to the matter at hand, the reason why Reyes is here is connected with why I called Michal here," Unity said as he returned to his seat at the head of the table and Michal sat down next to Reyes. "Michal, I have a mission for you and I want Reyes to accompany you."_

 _"What is it?" Michal asked._

 _"I want you to lead another cell of the Liberators into Japan," Unity said. "Reyes will serve as your second in command; you'll work on supplying any resistances that form in Japan but keep a low profile for now."_

 _"Why do we need another cell in Japan? We already have the one Nightfall's in control of," Reyes said._

Even if I'm not entirely sure having someone as psychotic as Nightfall in charge of a cell is such a good idea. But then, I'm still questioning why Unity chose Nightfall as his second, _Michal thought._

 _"Why not another cell in South America? It's much larger than Japan is and could use another cell," Reyes added._

 _"Yes but Japan controls the vast majority of the Sakuradite in the world and I want another cell there because of that. Not only that but, in the past four years, Japan has become the area with the highest number of terrorists, even if they aren't quite that active. As such, I believe there may be plenty of potential recruits and I do not think Nightfall has enough men; however, it would be safer to have two cells than to increase the size of one."_

 _"Tch, I don't need these bastards' help. I can handle the fucking job by myself," Nightfall growled, folding his arms across his chest in anger._

 _"Having extra help can only help you, Nightfall," Unity said._

 _"Tch, whatever." Nightfall fell silent and Michal had the distinct impression that he was sulking._

 _"If Michal and I will be in charge of our own cell, does that mean we won't have to interact with Nightfall often?" Reyes asked hopefully._

 _"Not really, not unless we have meetings such as this again," Unity said._

 _"I can deal with that," Reyes said._

 _"When should we head out?" Michal asked._

 _"As soon as possible," Unity replied._

 **. . .**

 **24**

 **So Strikes the Tempest**

 _July 17, 2016_

 _Sapporo, Hokkaido, Area 11_

"He's back? Fuck!" Reyes groaned when Michal informed him of his meeting with the two leaders of the Liberators. "I was really hoping that he wouldn't come back when he left for the Chinese Federation last year."

"I still can't believe that he didn't keep in contact with anyone after he left. I wonder what happened to his cell. They never contacted us, though Unity did say that he's been in contact them so I suppose they're still doing well, even if they haven't made any moves," Michal said.

"Wonder if Nightfall came back 'cause you showed him up by actually dealing a pretty strong blow against Britannia, something he hasn't been able to do since he formed the first cell here in Japan," Reyes mused.

Michal shrugged. "Who knows? Though...it is curious. You know about the attacks that happened on Sapporo and Hakodate back in January?"

"Yeah, what about 'em?"

"Just how they happened. Attacking the civilians at Sapporo and then attacking the military base at Hakodate within a day of the attack at Sapporo," Michal said, pressing his lips together as he turned his gaze to the large windows of the office he was standing in. His brow furrowed in thought as he gazed at the city below. It was almost completely devoid of citizens since he and the majority of the Liberators cell he was in charge of had taken control of the city; all of the citizens had evacuated to the mountains. Michal hadn't wanted innocent civilian blood on his hands so, after he and his men took out the military men, he ordered the civilians to evacuate or else and they had fled.

He had only done that because he knew that Britannia would come back and, while he would be alerted to the Britannians approach thanks to the lookout he had at the Hakodate Military Base and could prepare ahead of time, that did not mean he would be able to evacuate the civilians. He didn't want a repeat of what happened back in January.

"Okay, I don't get your point," Reyes said, bringing Michal out of his thoughts and back to the conversation he was having with his second.

"It just...seems like something Nightfall would do," Michal said finally. "We both know that Nightfall, well..."

"...is a complete psychopath?" Reyes said.

"Well, I was gonna say enjoys killing but, yeah, that works too, so...do you suppose it's possible he was behind what happened at Sapporo and Hakodate in January?"

"That's pretty far-fetched, Michal. The bastard may be psychotic enough to actually enjoy killing but he does have some set of morals, however small they are; he won't attack or kill civilians. He and his men will only go after the military," Reyes said.

"I suppose so. But would he kill civilians if they were in his way?" Reyes knew Nightfall better than Michal, since they had worked together before the Liberators formed—and it was during that time that Michal was sure Reyes's and Nightfall's mutual hatred for each other developed—and if anyone would know if he would do that, it would be Reyes.

Reyes pressed his lips together. "I've never seen it happen but I suppose it's possible. I mean, he is a psychopath; there's no telling what goes on in that fucked-up mind of his," he said. "So, yeah, I guess I could see him as being responsible. However, there's a flaw in your idea."

"Hmm? What's that?"

"Nightfall's been in the Chinese Federation for the last year."

Michal's brow furrowed. "I know that but...he could've commanded the attack from afar. It wouldn't be the first time he's done that. Remember the fight against the Knight of Ten and his Valkyries in Area 2 five years ago?" During that battle, Nightfall had commanded it while he was still at an outpost near the main base in the EU.

"That's true," Reyes said. "I guess it really is possible." He shook his head and stood up, stretching. "But I don't think we should worry 'bout that now. The enemy's gonna be coming sooner or later so we should prepare."

Michal nodded in agreement.

 **. . .**

 _Beach, Island of Olkhon, Europia United_

Adeline dug her toes into the white sand as she relaxed on her back, her blue eyes fixed on the sky above her head. She took a deep breath and, holding it for a second, released it slowly before repeating the process, as she folded her arms behind her head. She was bored out of her mind. Her big brother was busy with his duties to the Liberators as well as preparing to send another small squad of Lupi to Michal's cell on Hokkaido Island.

It made Adeline wonder if, perhaps, she could convince her brother to let her go and help out. She was bored and wanted to help out with the Liberators; even if she was still only fourteen, almost fifteen, and didn't have very good memories of the last time she'd witnessed combat. She knew that the _Starfire_ wasn't ready to engage in battle but the Lupi were. The _Lupus_ had, basically, been the knightmare that Alexei tested his Diamond Bladed weapons on by creating the Diamond-tipped Claws in order to test whether his theory about them would work or not. They were also supposed to be Alexei's attempt at creating a knightmare that could transform into two different forms; unfortunately, he hadn't been able to get the Lupus to transform out of Wolf Mode once it shifted form. Nonetheless, they were pretty strong knightmares and Adeline enjoyed piloting them and could pilot them very well. She knew that she could fight in the battle that she knew was coming on Hokkaido Island but she didn't know if her brother would let her.

As if just thinking about him called him up, Adeline was suddenly aware of her brother sitting down next to her on the beach. "Hey Brother. Everything ready to be sent out to Hokkaido?" Adeline asked.

Unity nodded, crossing his legs and resting his hands on his lap. "It's going to take them about two days, at least, to reach the island," he said.

"Have they left yet?" Adeline asked.

"Not yet. They're still fueling the carrier but they'll be leaving within the hour," Unity said. "Why do you ask?"

Adeline curled her legs under her as she turned to face her brother. "I wanna go with," she said bluntly.

"They're heading straight for a battle, Adeline," Unity reminded her.

"I know that but I wanna go with. I can pilot a Lupus and help. I've been wanting to help for a while and, since the _Starfire_ isn't ready for full combat yet, I can help this way," Adeline said. "Please, brother, let me help."

But Unity was already shaking his head. "You're only fourteen, Adeline. I'm not having you fight just yet. I know you want to help with the Liberators but fighting on the frontlines is not something I want you to do at your age," he said.

"But I can help!" Adeline protested stubbornly, getting to her feet and folding her arms across her chest. _And I'm almost fifteen anyway._ "Besides, you weren't much older than me when you started the Liberators."

Unity also got to his feet. "You're my little sister, Adeline. I want to keep you safe," he said.

"I can take care of myself," Adeline protested, a scowling crossing her lips. "I'm not a child anymore. I can do this!"

"You're only fourteen," Unity repeated. "The answer's no. You can't help in the battle on Hokkaido Island."

"They could use my help," Adeline exclaimed in frustration.

"They are perfectly capable of fighting that battle themselves."

"But why shouldn't they have extra help? Besides, Prince Schneizel proved that your strategy isn't foolproof. What happens if the Britannians counteract your strategy?"

"The commander they're going against is too inexperienced to counteract my strategy. This battle, while likely not going to be an easy one—then again, none of our battles are easy ones—is going to be in our favor. We have the advantage here. There's no need for you to go to the frontlines, Adeline," Unity said.

"But..."

"My answer is final. You cannot go to Hokkaido," Unity said firmly, glaring at her.

Adeline, folding her arms across her chest and scowling, nodded and looked away, glaring at the sand, irritated beyond belief that Unity was treating her like she was a fragile child and not allowing her to help even though she could. _Damn overprotective older brothers._ "Yes, Big Brother," she said.

Unity sighed and placed a hand on Adeline's shoulder, causing the golden-haired young woman to look at him. "There will be plenty of engagements in the future that you can take part of, Adeline. And know that I just want you to be safe," he said.

"Yeah, yeah."

Unity lowered his hand and walked away. Adeline watched him go, pressing her lips tightly together as she watched Unity disappear into the warehouse that lay behind them. She didn't know how long she remained standing on the beach before she finally came to a conclusion in her mind. Her brother was being overprotective and it really grated on her nerves but she decided that she wasn't going to let that hinder her.

The Liberators could use her help and so she was going to help them, whether her brother liked it or not. Her brother probably wouldn't be too happy with her doing something behind his back but, perhaps, if he saw just how strong a knightmare pilot she was and that she really could help then maybe he would be willing to see that she wasn't a child anymore. And if that happened then he would be more willing to let her take a more active role in the Liberators.

She jogged toward the warehouse, intent on going to her room, changing, and then sneaking on board the carrier heading for Hokkaido Island. She only had an hour to get inside the carrier and she had to do ensure that her big brother didn't see her.

 _I'm sorry I'm going behind your back, big brother, but if you refuse to see that I'm not a child that needs to be coddled anymore than I will show you that I'm not,_ she thought.

 **. . .**

 _Abandoned Military Base, Southeast of Sapporo_

Lelouch walked around the military base, noting that the thick layer of dust suggested that the base hadn't been used in a while. The scorch marks, scars on the wall, and bones that littered the floor suggested that a battle had taken place and Lelouch wondered when the battle occurred there. He made a mental note to ask Dimitri when he got back to the G1.

"Why're we here anyway, Your Highness?" Kay asked as Rayne let out a loud sneeze, causing some dust to spray in the air.

"Curiosity, mostly," Lelouch said. "I never knew there was another base here. Besides, there might be some information and supplies here that we could use. It will also serve as a good rendezvous should things go wrong." _Not that I'm planning on things going wrong. I can't afford to lose here,_ he thought but didn't repeat that thought out loud.

"I suppose so," Kay said.

Rayne sneezed again. "Damn, there's so much dust in here. When's the last time this base has been used?" she asked as they made their way deeper into it, heading toward where Dimitri, who had managed to get a layout of the old base, said the command center was located.

"It must have been a while," Kay said.

"Jeremiah, do you know when this base was last used?" Lelouch asked, turning his gaze to the last member of their group.

Jeremiah frowned before shaking his head. "No. I didn't even know this place existed but, then, I've never been to Hokkaido Island. I was usually deployed around Tokyo, Your Highness," he said.

"Hmm, it's possible that this base hasn't been used since the invasion, considering the number of skulls and bones we've come across," Lelouch said thoughtfully.

"It's a possibility, Your Highness."

The four of them entered a hallway that would take them to the command center and they walked down it, meandering around some bones and skulls that littered the floor. It really didn't faze Lelouch that much; he had seen worse during the invasion.

They finally reached the command center and, meandering his way around the remains of a table at the center, Lelouch walked over to the computers. Brushing off some dust and cobwebs on one of them, he pressed the power button, a bit surprised when it came on.

Sitting down on the chair, he hacked into the main computer—he may not be on Dimitri's level of expertise when it came to hacking but he did know a few things—and began searching for the last logs logged into the computer. While he did that, he found an encrypted file so he turned on his communicator.

"Prince Lelouch to base, do you read?" he said.

" _I read you, Your Highness,_ " Lieutenant Colonel Soresi, whom Lelouch had left in command of the G1 while he was in the military base, said. " _What is it you need?_ "

"I would like you to connect me to the Intelligence Unit," Lelouch said.

" _Yes, Your Highness. One moment._ " Soresi fell silent and Lelouch waited, scanning through the other logs, for the analysts to respond.

A moment later, the communicator came back to life. " _This is Lieutenant Linder, Head of the Intelligence Unit. What do you need, Your Highness?_ " a male voice sounded on the other end.

"I've found an encrypted file within a computer in the military base," Lelouch said, scrolling back up to the encrypted log. "I will be sending it to you now and I want you to attempt to decipher it. Contact me as soon as you have any results."

" _Yes, Your Highness._ "

Lelouch then worked on sending the encrypted file to the team of analysts back with the rest of the Regiment.

"What do you think it is, Your Highness?" Kay asked.

"I'm not entirely sure but if the Elevens would go so far as to encrypt it, it must be important," Lelouch said, scanning the rest of the files and logs on the computer but didn't find much of interest. Most of it was just logs of the ongoings of the military base.

His earphone chimed about half an hour later and Lelouch turned it on. "Yes?" he said into the headset's microphone.

" _Your Highness, we've managed to decrypt the file and are sending you it now. We're keeping a copy for informational purposes however,_ " Linder said and Lelouch returned his gaze to the main computer as he received the decrypted file. He opened it and saw there was only one file labeled ' _Lupus Project_ ' and he clicked on it, revealing a set of documents and a transcript of a log dated for August 24, 2010.

He clicked on the link to open the log and read through the transcript, his lips pressed together in a thin line.

 _August 24, 2010 3:05 PM: Under attack by the Britannian Army. General Akimoto Saito has ordered the withdrawal of all forces to protect the base. Evacuation orders for the personnel and supplies has been issued_

 _August 24, 2010 3:30 PM: Britannian Forces have infiltrated the base. Akimoto-_ sama _and the Hana Brigade are holding them off. Major Murase-_ san _has been ordered to oversee evacuation of the technicians along with all documents and anything related to the Lupus project._

 _August 24, 2010 4:05 PM: Akimoto-_ sama _has successfully pushed the Britannians back to the outer compound of the base. Evacuation of the technicians has been successful._

 _August 24, 2010 4:20 PM: Britannians have overrun the base. Akimoto-_ sama _has ordered the abandonment of the base. Orders have been issued to destroy all copies of documents and logs related to the Lupus project. Original documents and logs to be transferred to the main computer and encrypted for retrieval at a later time._

Closing out of the log, Lelouch frowned to himself. _What is this Lupus Project that they mentioned?_ He thought and went back to the other documents, clicking on one that read ' _Summary_ ' and reading through the information.

 _The Lupus is a planned sixth-generation knightmare frame. Akimoto Saito, a member of the Liberators, brought the Lupus's schematics to the Japanese in the hope of completing them and mass-producing them in order to increase the strength of the Japanese Military Force to, someday, combat Britannia. The Lupus originated from the schematics of the fourth-generation Glasgows that were copied by the Liberators in early 2008. Scientists, hired by the Japanese Department of Technology, have been attempting to finish the schematics for the Lupus but, so far, have been met with unsatisfactory results._

The date of the summary was June 2010. Lelouch went back to scanning the rest of the documents, noting that the incomplete schematics were in one of the files. He opened them up, studying the knightmare frame; it looked shaped like a canine, similar to the canine-like knightmare frames that Schneizel had included in his own report.

 _Does this mean that the Liberators managed to complete the schematics for the Lupus and mass-produce them?_ Lelouch thought, pressing his lips together as he closed the file.

"Did you find something, Your Highness?" Jeremiah asked.

"Possibly," Lelouch said as he shut down the computer and stood up, stretching. "Either way, this base was, originally, a base belonging to the Eleven Military before the invasion. I still don't know why Britannia never used it though. Either way, it will serve us well as a place to rendezvous should we need it. For now, we'll rest here for the night."

 **. . .**

 _July 18, 2016_

 _Toyohira Ghetto, Hokkaido_

Stonewell lowered her binoculars and scrambled down from the tree that she had climbed up earlier, jumping the remaining feet once she was on the lowest branch, and making her way back to the convoy that was located just on the outskirts of the large city. The ghettos that surrounded Sapporo weren't in nearly as bad a condition as the ones around Tokyo or Osaka but they were still mysteriously empty. Still, it made for a good hiding place for the convoy while they waited for orders to launch their assault. They were currently located on the outskirts of the Toyohira Ghetto just west of Sapporo.

"It doesn't look as if the Liberators' forces have been alerted to our presence, Your Highness. However, there is a military presence around the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office near Odori Park. There is also a military presence around the Sapporo Clock Tower to the northeast," Stonewell reported.

Lelouch pressed his lips together in thought as he turned his attention to the map that lay in front of him. "If we attack the ward then it's likely that the units stationed around the Clock Tower will attack us from the northeast, pinning us between their two forces," he murmured. "We aren't dealing with their full power, since a third was defeated at Hakodate, but that doesn't mean we should underestimate them." _If I am correct about what strategy they will employ then attacking them head-on and driving them away from the city would be our best bet. They won't attack right away, if they still follow the strategy that has won them so many engagements. After that, I simply have to prepare for the imminent seemingly unconnected attack. If that occurs then it's a safe bet that they will employ their usual strategy._

"We will be attacking the Sapporo City Chūō Ward. Get everyone into position and ready to move out on my command," Lelouch said. "I will issue more orders once everyone is en route."

"Yes, Your Highness," everyone declared and set out to move.

Lelouch rolled up the map and tucked it away while some soldiers put the folding table up. Then Lelouch headed back into the G1 to oversee the first phase of his plan. His primary focus, at the moment, was to take back Sapporo and drive the Liberators out of the city; if he was right about what the Liberators were planning on doing then the battle would be very quick.

However, he knew that some of his orders probably wouldn't be very well received.

As it turned out, he was right.

" _What?! You want us to sit this battle out?_ " Jeremiah exclaimed.

" _And us too?_ " Kay said confused.

Lelouch had just ordered the 23rd Squadron and the 16th Squadron, which was the Purist Faction lead by Jeremiah, along with the 1st Squadron, 5th Squadron and 8th Squadron to sit the upcoming battle out. He knew that they weren't going to like it but, if his plan was going to work then he couldn't show all of his cards at once.

"I understand your confusion," Lelouch said patiently. "However, in order to win against the Liberators, I need to keep a few cards up my sleeve. You five are the best knightmare squadrons in the entire Black Knights; therefore, I want to keep you in reserve for when the true fight begins."

" _True fight, Your Highness?_ " Jeremiah said in confusion.

"Yes. For now, I want you to wait in the Toyohira Ghetto until further notice," Lelouch said, leaning over the three-dimensional topographical map of the city, General Andon, standing next to him and watching him with a furrowed brow, said nothing.

At the chorus of " _yes, your Highness,_ " Lelouch returned his attention to the map as he watched the rest of his regiment get into position. By removing five knightmare squadrons, Lelouch had divided his forces nearly in half; a little over one-half was heading for the Ward Office while the remaining half—those five knightmare squadrons—was being held back in reserve.

"You're not attacking with the entire regiment," Andon said. It wasn't a question.

"I have a plan, General," Lelouch said, eyes still on the movements of the blue triangle blips on the topographical map. He tapped the communication button that would connect him to Lieutenant Colonel Glendon, the leader of the current half of the regiment. "Lieutenant Colonel, are you in position?"

" _Yes, Your Highness. What are your orders?_ " Lieutenant Colonel Glendon asked.

"Attack at will. Take out that enemy. Be prepared for reinforcements to arrive from the northeast," Lelouch ordered.

" _Yes, Your Highness._ " While Glendon sounded puzzled about the full frontal assault, he did as he was told and Lelouch watched as the blips surged forward.

"I want an onscreen satellite view of the battle," he ordered and Dimitri quickly brought it up on the screen, showing the clash. Sutherlands and Glasgows fought each other while tanks rolled up and fired at the knightmares, only to be met by missiles from the missile launchers the foot soldiers had set up just behind the line of knightmares.

Much to everyone's surprise, except Lelouch's, the reinforcements to the northeast never showed up and the enemy actually _retreated_ after getting bombarded, only a few times, by missiles and the Sutherlands that were attacking them.

Andon stared. "What?" he said in confusion. "That doesn't make any sense. The Liberators wouldn't just pack up and leave so quickly."

"I agree. They have something planned and retreating was part of their plan," Lelouch agreed before ordering the G1 as well as the 1st Squadron to join with the rest of the group at the Ward Office.

He then contacted Jeremiah, Kay, Lieutenant Colonel Frost, who was in charge of the 5th Squadron, and Major Frost, who was in charge of the 8th Squadron. "I have a special set of orders for the four of you," he said once he was connected to the four of them.

" _What are your orders, Your Highness?_ " Kay asked.

Lelouch smiled as he relayed his orders to the four squadrons.

He also reminded himself to speak with Suzaku about his own set of orders for the upcoming engagement.

 **. . .**

 _Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo, Hokkaido_

Diethard followed Prince Lelouch as he led the way through the empty Ward Office toward the office he had claimed as his own as soon as he had arrived at the heart of Sapporo. The reporter was still brimming with confusion at just how easy it was for the prince to actually force the Liberators to retreat; it just didn't seem like the Liberators at all to not put up much of fight and just retreat as quickly as they had. Out of all the articles that Diethard had read and all the information from his various contacts throughout Area 11, the broadcast journalist had learned that the Liberators were much too prideful to let themselves lose so easily.

General Andon, who was walking at Prince Lelouch's side, seemed just as confused as Diethard was. His lips were pressed together and his brow was furrowed in thought as if he was attempting to puzzle out the rather anticlimactic battle that had just taken place.

Truth be told, Diethard couldn't really count it as a battle since the Liberators had retreated within only minutes of getting attacked, and those reinforcements at the Clock Tower hadn't even bothered on showing up. It really was mind-boggling and made Diethard wonder just what the hell was going on.

"So if retreating like that was part of their plan, what do you suppose they are trying to do, Your Highness?" Andon asked, breaking the silence and making Diethard blink; he hadn't thought that the Liberators' retreating could be part of a bigger plan. Then again, he wasn't well versed in military affairs. He was a journalist after all, not a military commander.

"If you'll recall from the varies reports of the military's engagement with the Liberators in the past, you'll recall that many of the engagements in which Britannia attacked a city or base that the Liberators controlled, the Liberators spent most of their time focused on retreating rather than fighting back. Then they launched a seemingly random attack, like a bombing, a day or two later," Prince Lelouch said.

"You think that they will do that here?" Andon asked.

"It's a very definite possibility. They would not have retreated so easily if they didn't have a plan and that could, very well, be their plan. If not, I have a contingency plan that has already been put into place."

"You mean those orders you gave to the leaders of the 5th, 8th, 16th, and 23rd Squadrons?" Andon said, brow furrowed again in puzzlement. "Though I still don't understand why you gave such orders to them."

"It's all part of the plan, General," the prince said nonchalantly. He cast a sidelong glance at the general and added, "and their roles all depend on what the Liberators' next move is."

He stepped into the office and walked over to the desk, sitting down and adding, "For now, we rest and wait. It's the Liberators' move. Let's see what they do with it."

"If we're resting and waiting, do you suppose I can interview you now?" Diethard asked eagerly. When he had told his boss that he would be accompanying Prince Lelouch on his journey to take on the rest of the Liberators' Eleven cell at Sapporo, his boss had insisted that he report on the entire situation in order to keep the people informed of what was going on. Thus, one of the first things that Diethard decided to do was report on the so-called 'battle' of Sapporo, broadcasting his report live to the rest of Area 11, and, perhaps, get more information about Prince Lelouch out for the public.

Lelouch cast him a slightly amused glance and then his eyes went thoughtful. "I suppose it would be best to inform the people of what I truly feel about this situation," he said. "All right, Mr. Ried, though it will only be a brief one, for now."

"I can live with that," Diethard said, grinning.

 **. . .**

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

Shirley looked up from the origami crane that she was working on as the television show that she, and the rest of the Student Council, were listening to changed and the 'Breaking News' bulletin flashed across the screen. "Huh? Wonder what's going on," she said.

"Who knows?" Milly said before she reached over for the remote and turned the television up as the screen changed and a blonde man with his hair in a ponytail appeared on the screen.

" _This is Diethard Ried, reporting live from Sapporo, Hokkaido in Area 11,_ " the blonde man began. " _While the military has deemed it necessary to keep this information from the public's eyes and ears, we, at HiTV, believe the people have the right to know what is happening. Almost three weeks ago, the Island of Hokkaido, in northern Area 11, was overrun by a cell of the terrorist organization known as the Liberators._ "

Shirley blinked. Naturally, everyone had heard about the Liberators; they were a nearly undefeated terrorist organization whose only loss came from their engagement with Prince Schneizel in Cambodia. Shirley only knew that because she had read it in the newspaper soon after it happened; she really didn't pay that much attention to military events, until now with her friend—and crush—being part of the military.

"Oh no," Nunnally, who was at Shirley's side, whispered.

" _While it is unclear of just how the Liberators have managed to take control of the island of Hokkaido, the fact remains that they have. Hokkaido is known for being the home of the majority of Britannia's knightmare factories in Area 11 and it is believed that this is the reason why the Liberators have taken control of it._ "

" _However, the military has stepped in to take back Hokkaido by sending in the 11_ _th_ _Regiment, nicknamed the Black Knights, under the command of the Eleventh Prince, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia,_ " Ried went on.

"Big Brother?" Nunnally said surprised.

"Well, he did say he was heading for Hokkaido," Milly said.

" _Two days ago, Prince Lelouch successfully defeated a fraction of the Liberators' Eleven cell stationed at the military base at Hakodate and, earlier today, he also successfully forced the rest of the Liberators' Eleven cell out of Sapporo,_ " Ried went on.

"Whoa, really? Did Lelouch actually _win_ against the Liberators?" Kallen murmured.

Tara frowned, her dark eyes narrowing. "How?" she murmured.

" _We go live to the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office where Prince Lelouch has agreed to speak to us about his win,_ " Ried said and the camera panned away as Ried walked over to join the familiar form of Lelouch.

Lelouch was standing on the steps of the stairs, talking quietly to a green-haired elderly man. Shirley saw Kallen's eyes narrow out of the corner of her eye and turned to her to see the red-haired girl clenching her hands. When Kallen noticed she was watching, she quickly relaxed ad gave Shirley a puzzled look. "What?" she asked meekly.

"Nothing," Shirley said and returned her attention to the TV.

" _Your Highness, you've achieved a rather impressive victory here today. What are your thoughts on your win against the Liberators?_ " Ried asked as Lelouch turned his attention to the reporter.

" _My thoughts, Mr. Ried?_ " Lelouch said. " _My thoughts are simply this; this is not over yet._ "

" _What do you mean, Your Highness?_ " Ried said.

" _The Liberators retreated too soon after my men attacked them. Considering that they are nearly undefeated, it seemed rather odd to me that they would give up so easily and allow me to win. That is why I believe that they are simply bidding their time and preparing to strike back once they have regrouped,_ " Lelouch said calmly, his face was impassive. " _Because that is what I believe will happen, I do not count this victory as a true victory._ "

" _I see. Are you confident that you can pull off a victory against the Liberators should they decide to attack again?_ " Ried asked.

" _I am confident that I can,_ " Lelouch said simply.

"Tch, arrogant bastard," Tara growled.

Nunnally frowned at Tara. "He's not being arrogant, Tara," she chided gently. "He's being confident. He once told our brother Schneizel that confidence in one's ability to win can help motivate that person to work harder to win."

"Oh shut up. I never asked for your opinion," Tara shot back scornfully.

Nunnally jerked back as if slapped, hurt crossing her face.

Shirley, curling her arm around Nunnally's shoulders, frowned at Tara. "That was uncalled for, Tara," she scolded.

"Yeah, she was just..." Rivalz began.

"I don't care," Tara said and returned her attention to the TV.

"Gees, what's her problem? She's been moody and irritable since the dance," Rivalz said. "Is she PMSing?"

"Rivalz!" Shirley cried.

"What?"

"Guys, Lelouch is speaking again," Milly said, drawing everyone's attention back to the TV screen.

"... _have a plan should the Liberators decide to return, as I expect them to,_ " Lelouch was saying. " _The Liberators may be nearly undefeated but my brother Schneizel proved that they_ can _be defeated and I plan on doing the same._ "

" _Bold words, Your Highness,_ " Ried said. " _Some might say your confidence is simply arrogance._ "

" _Some see confidence and arrogance as the same thing, yes, but confidence can motivate one to work hard to achieve their objective whereas arrogance is one believing that they've already won before the engagement has even begun. I am not arrogant enough to believe that; I know that the coming battle is going to be a difficult one, much more difficult than my engagement with the Crimson Sakuras, but that does not mean that I am going to back down._ "

" _Well, let's see if your confidence proves to be your undoing or not,_ " Ried said before the camera panned away to focus on him again. " _This is Diethard Ried, reporting live from Sapporo, Hokkaido in Area 11. Whether the Liberators do decide to strike again or not, I will be here to report it live to the people of Area 11 who have the right to know what is happening in their area._ "

The 'Breaking News' bulletin flashed across the screen again before the screen reverted back to the show that they were watching previously.

 **. . .**

 _July 19, 2016_

 _Sapporo Military Base, Sapporo, Hokkaido_

Lieutenant Brown yawned as he walked down the main hallway of the Sapporo Military Base. It was early morning and he was on his way to the command center to check on the situation. He had been tasked by Prince Lelouch to keep an eye on the city, especially on the location of the civilians, though it didn't appear as if there were any civilians within the city limits. Brown briefly wondered just where the civilians had gone but decided that, at the very least, they seemed to be out of the way and they wouldn't be in danger should the Liberators attack as Prince Lelouch seemed to think they would.

Brown didn't know whether the prince actually had what it took to defeat the Liberators, the victory the day before notwithstanding, since he was such an inexperienced military commander. While he was a good commander and an intelligent strategist—as was evident in his victory over the Crimson Sakuras in Osaka—Brown knew that the Liberators were on a completely different level. Schneizel had defeated the Liberators but then Brown wasn't surprised. There was a reason why Schneizel was known as the Cold-Blooded Strategist after all.

He supposed he would just have to see if Prince Lelouch could do it as well. Going against the Liberators would make or break him and Brown wondered why it was that General Andon didn't take command of this operation. _Why is he having such an inexperienced military commander go against the Liberators?_ He wondered silently.

"Sir, sir," a voice said and Brown turned to find his second, Major McMann, darting to his side, saluting as he did so.

"What is it, Major?" Brown asked with a frown.

"We've found something that you should see," McMann said.

"Show me," Brown said and followed McMann as he darted off to the command center.

When they reached the command center, McMann guided him to the computer that showed a tactical display of the sky. He frowned when McMann pointed to the display and, specifically, at an object that appeared to be heading toward the base. And it was moving rather rapidly.

Brown swore. "Evacuate the base, now," he barked out.

"Sir?" McMann began.

"Now, Major," Brown said swiftly.

"Ah, yes sir." McMann darted over to the communication unit and, speaking rapidly into the headset, issued a base-wide evacuation order and an alarm began to blare loudly as the object continued to draw closer and closer until it struck.

 **. . .**

 _Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo, Hokkaido_

The _boom_ could be heard all the way in Lelouch's office at the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, startling him. He glanced up sharply from the papers on his desk and moved over to the window to see the smoke rising up from the military base to the northeast of the ward office. He narrowed his eyes. _So you are continuing with your strategy. Hmm, better inform my secret weapons to hold their positions. I don't want some of my cards to be revealed too soon. Should also send a squad to find any survivors,_ he thought as he turned and returned to his desk.

The door to his office opened and Lieutenant Colonel Glendon darted in. "Did you hear that, Your Highness?" he asked as he came to a stop in front of Lelouch's desk.

"I did," Lelouch said. "It would appear our enemy has made their next move."

"You think that this attack is the Liberators' fault?" Glendon said puzzled.

"I believe it is, yes. Lieutenant Colonel, organize a search and rescue team to find any survivors from the attack on the military base," Lelouch said firmly.

"Yes, Your Highness," Glendon said with a salute before he darted out of the office.

Lelouch picked up his communicator and connected to Jeremiah, Kay, the two Frost Siblings, and Suzaku, whom he had delivered his orders for the upcoming engagement to personally. "This is Prince Lelouch. I want you four to have your squadrons hold their current positions," he said.

" _But that attack, Your Highness..._ " Jeremiah began.

"I was expecting it. We must not compromise the plan and reveal my strategy to the enemy; whether they are looking or not is not important. Remain in position until I give you the signal," Lelouch said firmly.

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Jeremiah, Kay, the two Frost Siblings, and Suzaku all answered at once.

Lelouch ended the call and returned his attention to the papers on his desk, his brow furrowed in thought. _You've made your first move, now it's only a matter of waiting for you to make your second move,_ he thought with a cool smile. _And if your second move is what I predict it will be then I will be able to put your king in checkmate within only two moves._

 **. . .**

 _Medical Transport, Outside the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo_

Lila carefully sorted through the cabinet, pulling out rolls of bandages, rubbing alcohol, slings, and other medical equipment and placing them on the counter where Laura was sorting through them. "That's it in the cabinets," she said, turning to Laura who pressed her lips together in thought.

"It looks like we're running a little low on some things," Laura said. "Thankfully, no one was hurt in that battle yesterday, if that could even be called a battle."

"Will you have enough supplies for any upcoming engagements or should we stock up again?" Lila asked curiously.

Laura gave Lila a gentle smile. "While I really do appreciate all of your help, Lila, you should focus on your own duties," she said.

Lila sighed but nodded. She knew that Laura wasn't just referring to her duties as a soldier fighting but also her duties as a member of Prince Lelouch's Royal Guard. In the battle at Osaka, Lila hadn't been on the frontlines; at the military base, she had been part of that infiltration team sent to capture Hozumi Murkami while, at the city itself, she had, along with Tadashi, been on sniper patrol, keeping an eye out for snipers and fighting against the foot soldiers that had attacked. However, now that she was part of Lelouch's Royal Guard, she was staying close to him; she, Tadashi, and Dimitri were the only ones of Lelouch's Royal Guard currently with him as the rest had their own set of orders at the moment.

"I know that, Laura, but, right now, I don't have anything to do. Prince Lelouch is safe in the Ward Office and those Liberators haven't struck yet and he doesn't mind me helping you out," Lila said.

Laura smiled back. "I think you'll make a good field medic one of these days, Lila," she said. "You certainly are compassionate enough and know your way around more than just the basics."

 _And that's only because of the medical books Mother and Father had me read,_ Lila mused.

Suddenly, the medical transport's door swung open and a soldier darted in. "We need your help now," he said with a hasty salute.

"What's going on?" Laura asked with a frown.

"Didn't you hear the explosion earlier?" Without waiting for either Laura or Lila to respond, he went on, "We have several wounded soldiers being brought in. Most of them have bad burns but there are some with puncture wounds from fallen debris."

"Right. C'mon, team, let's go," Laura ordered the rest of her medical team who nodded and, grabbing what supplies they felt they would need, darted out of the medical transport. Laura, grabbing varies supplies that Lila had placed on the counter, started to follow suit.

"Lila, get those bandages and burn salve," she shouted over her shoulder.

"On it," Lila said and, grabbing the aforementioned items, darted out of the transport toward where several men were lying on the ground or being carried toward them by other soldiers. Many of them were covered in severe third degree burns while some were bleeding from pieces of stone or wood sticking out of their legs or abdomens. The soldier that had called Laura and the rest of her team were already directing them to the worst of the injured.

"So what did you mean about an explosion earlier?" Laura asked with a frown as she knelt by the most injured soldier, calmly asking Lila, who had come to her side, for the burn salve and bandages.

"The military base where Lieutenant Brown had been stationed was bombed about fifteen minutes ago. I'm surprised you didn't hear it. Everyone else did," the soldier explained.

"The medical transport has some pretty thick walls," Laura admitted as she dabbed some of the burn salve on the worst of the soldier's burns, causing him to hiss in pain since he was still somewhat conscious. "So what happened?"

"No one's entirely sure," the soldier admitted.

"Has His Highness been informed?" Lila asked, handing Laura the bandages when she asked for them.

"Yes, Lieutenant Moore, he's been informed," the soldier said.

"Lila, you should be at His Highness's side," Laura said. "My team and I can handle this. Go now." She made a shooing motion with her hands and Lila, knowing that she was right, nodded. She was part of Lelouch's Royal Guard; with the attack on the military base, Lelouch's life might be in danger.

She handed the rest of the supplies she was holding to Laura before getting to her feet and darting over to the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office.

 **. . .**

 _Liberators' Carrier Ship, En Route to Hokkaido_

Adeline shifted a little in the small crevice she had managed to squeeze herself into between two tall stacks of boxes filled with maintenance supplies for the _Lupi_ that dotted the carrier's main floor. There were twelve in total, the rest having been delivered earlier that week, and Adeline knew that she would have to do some fast talking to ensure that Michal and Reyes would not only allow her to fight but also not report her location to her brother.

For now, though, she was stuck dealing with another two days on the carrier ship as it continued its slow journey to Hokkaido Island. Due to the fact that the ship had to travel the entire length of the Chinese Federation, the journey was bound to take a few days at least; they were also using a less well known route that carried them across the northern end of the Chinese Federation so as to avoid alerting the Chinese Federation to their location.

The ship was only used for carrying knightmare frames, built by the scientist Alexei Kozar based on the designs for the knightmare carriers that Britannia used that the Liberators had managed to snag a while back, and thus wasn't staffed by very many people. That was what made it easy for Adeline to sneak on board, even if she had nearly been seen by Nightfall.

She was a bit surprised that Nightfall was going to Hokkaido. Everyone knew that he was the one in charge of the first cell in Japan but he was, now, on the way to help the second cell. It made Adeline wonder if something happened to the first cell but then she realized that if that had been the case then Unity would've known about it as would the entire organization. Surely the disappearance of an entire cell would be noticed. Besides, Unity did receive regular reports from Nightfall's second in command at the Niigata Settlement.

She shook her head, deciding that she would worry about that later. Perhaps Nightfall had simply been given orders to aid Michal and Reyes in fighting against the Britannians who'd launched an attack to take back Hokkaido Island.

She ducked down when she saw someone enter the main floor and immediately recognized it as Nightfall, who was also on the phone with someone.

"Yeah, we're 'bout halfway across the Chinese Federation, Unity," Nightfall said.

Adeline bit her lip to keep from making a noise. If Nightfall didn't know she was there then he wouldn't tell Unity because, knowing her big brother, he would order the ship to turn around and fly right back to the base to drop her off. It would also delay the Liberators' attack to retake Sapporo or, worse case scenario, cost them the entire battle should they decide to go through with the second phase before the equipment for the third phase could arrive.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know," Nightfall added with a sigh. "I hate dealing with that fucker Reyes but I'll play nice."

There was another moment of silence before Nightfall added, "Yeah, yeah, okay. I'll call when we get to Hokkaido. Bye." He hung up and slipped his phone into his pocket before stretching his arms above his head, folding them behind his head.

"You can come out now, you know?" he added.

Adeline froze.

Nightfall laughed. "Did you honestly think I didn't notice you sneak on board, Little Miss Stowaway," he said, a smirk crossing his lips. "You weren't doing a very good job of hiding your little stowaway act."

Adeline gritted her teeth but, nonetheless, climbed out of the crevice between the stacks of boxes and stood up. "Why didn't you tell Big Brother then?" she asked.

"'Cause I've seen ya in a Lupus. Ya can kick ass and it'd make this fight so much quicker if we had someone of your skill fighting. Besides, I heard your little 'I can take care of myself. I'm not a child anymore' rant yesterday so now's your chance to prove it."

"It wasn't a rant," Adeline muttered but relaxed because, at least, Nightfall wasn't treating her like a child anymore. He knew that she was a good pilot and he agreed that she should be allowed the chance to prove it.

"Whatever. Just don't make me regret letting ya stay, kid," Nightfall said and strode off, ignoring Adeline's glare.

"I'm not a kid," she growled.

 **. . .**

 _July 21, 2016_

 _Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo, Hokkaido_

Lelouch sorted through his reports, half listening to Diethard who was talking on the phone with his superior and half attempting to read through the reports on his desk. Most of them were reports from the bombing of the military base delivered by those who managed to evacuate while some were the paperwork necessary for those who died in the bombing. He'd gotten around to finishing most of that paperwork but he still had some that he needed to finish; he was going to try and finish those before he went outside for some well-needed fresh air and check on his remaining troops.

He mused he should also contact his 'reserve team' and make sure they were all right. Considering where they were stationed, they had access to facilities like bathrooms and were constantly being supplied food and water from a squad of soldiers whom Lelouch had put on leave to help his 'reserve team' until they were needed. Basically, they were soldiers who wanted to do something after the 'battle' that forced the Liberators to retreat. Cecile was also helping out from the A.S.E.E.C.'s base.

"I know, I know," Diethard was saying into his phone. "But the prince is stubborn. He won't give me a full interview yet. I think he just doesn't want to give a full interview. Yes. Yes. I know the public are itching to know more about him and probably have many questions. No. I can ask but I doubt it. He's too focused on what's going on here in Sapporo. Yes, I _know_ nothing's happened but that hasn't stopped the prince."

Lelouch, decide to ignore Diethard arguing with his superior, picked up his headset and connected to Jeremiah, Kay, the A.S.E.E.C.'s base, and the others.

" _Your Highness, everything okay?_ " Jeremiah asked.

"Yes, everything's fine. I'm simply calling to check up on all of you," Lelouch replied.

" _We're doing fine, Your Highness_ ," Lieutenant Colonel Frost said.

" _It's been two days, though, Your Highness. Are you sure the Liberators are going to show up?_ " Kay asked curiously.

"Yes, Major Frost, I'm sure," Lelouch said simply. "Earl Lloyd, will the Master Vibration Swords be ready to be used in the coming engagement?"

" _Yes, they're ready to be tested already. I'm positive I got all the glitches out,_ " Lloyd's excited voice was heard over the speaker.

" _We got out,_ " Cecile corrected. " _They should perform admirably if we have gotten them all out._ "

"Good," Lelouch said. "Major Parker, any sign of the enemy on your end?" Lelouch called them by their first name only to differentiate between them since Kay had the same rank as his elder brother. Major Parker Frost was stationed on the northern end of the city, in the Higashi Ghetto, while Major Kay Frost was stationed on the western end, in the ruins of an old shrine. He also had Lieutenant Colonel Frost stationed to the east along with Suzaku and the A.S.E.E.C.—who were hidden in the Toyohira Ghetto—and Jeremiah to the south at the abandoned military base.

" _Nothing, Your Highness,_ " Parker Frost said.

" _And you, Major Kay?_ " Lelouch asked.

" _Everything's clear over here, Your Highness,_ " Kay said.

"Good. Keep an eye on things and alert me if things change. However, if you see the enemy, you are not to engage them as per your orders," Lelouch reminded them.

" _Understood, Your Highness,_ " Jeremiah, Kay, Lieutenant Colonel Frost, and Major Parker stated at once.

Lelouch ended the call and removed the headset, noting that Diethard seemed to have finished his argument and looked incredibly frustrated. "Something the matter, Mr. Ried?" Lelouch asked.

"My boss wants me to update the people on what's going on in Sapporo, despite that being absolutely nothing," Diethard said. "I've managed to convince him to let me wait another day. I hope the Liberators show up by then. This waiting is really killing my reputation."

There was a knock on the door at that moment and Lelouch glanced toward it. "Come in," he called.

The door slid open and Andon made his way into the office. "Your Highness," he greeted Lelouch with a small bow as he walked over to join the prince by his desk. "It looks as if your theory about the Liberators is wrong."

"I wouldn't say that, General," Lelouch said, standing up and walking over to the window overlooking the city, clasping his hands behind his back, his amethyst eyes fixed on his soldiers milling around below. "The Liberators struck at my brother Schneizel's forces four days after they bombed a portion of the Phnom Penh Military Base. It's only been two days since the bombing."

"Do we know that it was them?" Andon asked.

"Yes. The search and rescue team found their insignia left behind when they went to search for survivors. Someone must have snuck in to leave the insignia and got out before the search and rescue team arrived. However, the surveillance system of the base and surrounding areas were too badly damaged and didn't catch sight of an intruder," Lelouch said.

Andon hummed as he walked over to join Lelouch by the window. "I will admit I agree that them leaving as quickly as they had does arouse suspicions and I can understand why they would wait a few days to launch an attack. What I do not understand is the attack on the military base."

"Weaken our forces," Lelouch said simply and turned his amethyst gaze to the general. "General, when you take control of a city back from a terrorist group, where is the most likely position that you would station your forces, other than the main government building in the city?"

"The military base...wait, you think that they attacked because they believed that some of your forces were stationed there?"

"Exactly," Lelouch said, returning his gaze to the window. "They sought to weaken our forces and, by waiting a few days after weakening our forces, they lull us into a false sense of security and then attack, giving them the element of surprise."

"However, since you've figured out that they're likely doing that, why do we still only have half of our regiment here? Why not recall the other half? I still do not understand why they were stationed where they were," Andon said.

"It's all part of the plan, General," Lelouch said. "I assure you I know what I am doing."

Andon pressed his lips together. "With all due respect, Your Highness, I'm not sure that I can believe that," he said. "Using only half a regiment against a cell of the Liberators that, even with only two-thirds of their forces, still outnumber us almost three to one, according to what we saw in that last skirmish...it would take a miracle to win that battle."

Lelouch turned to face the general, a cool confident smirk on his face. "Then watch as I perform a miracle," he said.

 **. . .**

 _Ruined Port of Wakkanai, Hokkaido, Area 11_

"Ahhh, fresh air!" Adeline exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air as she stepped out of the carrier and inhaled the salty sea air. She had been stuck on the carrier for the past three days and was more than grateful to finally see the blue sky and feel the ground beneath her feet.

Nightfall, who followed her out, rolled his eyes at her reaction and strode off to join the Liberators that had joined them at the ruined port. "Let's get these unloaded and over to Michal. He'll be needing them for the third phase. Hopefully Reyes hasn't completely fucked up the mission by attacking too soon," he said.

"Yes, sir," the Liberator soldiers stated, saluting before they hurried over to the carrier to begin guiding the Lupi out of the carrier and into four land carriers that were parked around them. Due to the area around Wakkanai being devastated so badly during the invasion that it was abandoned, no one could see what they were doing.

"I'd best contact Michal and the fucker and tell him that we're here," Nightfall said to himself and turned to Adeline. "Go and help or whatever, kid." He walked off before a bristling Adeline could respond.

Scowling in irritation, Nightfall always seemed to get under her skin the few times that she's interacted with him, Adeline walked off to join the other Liberators that were preparing to pilot the Lupi into the land carriers and offered her help. "I can pilot 'em into the carrier too," she said.

"You know how to pilot?" one asked.

"Yup."

"All right. We can use all the help we can get if we wanna get these to Michal before we lose our window of opportunity."

Beaming, Adeline darted off and slipped back into the carrier, heading toward the next Lupi that didn't have a temporary pilot and hopped into it. Due to the scientist Alexei Kozar being unable to figure out how to actually get the Lupus to transform out of Wolf Mode, all the Lupus were, unfortunately, stuck in that mode. Alexei was working on fixing that for the updated version of the Lupus. It was called Wolf Mode because the Lupus looked like a wolf that was crouched on its stomach when in launching position. It then rose to its 'paws' and moved like a wolf would move. Due to this, climbing into a Lupus was akin to climbing onto the back of a horse.

The cockpit greatly resembled a motorcycle in terms of the seating arrangement and the position of the main controls with tactical display screens, access panels for maintenance and command panels to calibrate the weapons system were in front of the controls. On the controls were triggers that one would pull as if pulling the trigger of a gun when one wanted to fire the assault rifles on the Lupus's shoulders or unsheathe the Claws or move the Claws like a wolf would move its paws to swipe at an enemy.

Sitting in the seat, Adeline removed the activation key that was resting on the dashboard in front of her and inserted it before starting the knightmare up. She grinned as it rose into a standing position and guided it out of the carrier easily; she has piloted these before and, so, knew exactly what to do.

Once she got that Lupus out and into the land carrier, she darted off to get another one. With her helping out, it took them about fifteen minutes to get the twelve Lupi into the land carriers; three of which were in each. Once they were ready to depart, Adeline walked over to join Nightfall who had rejoined the group.

"Let's get these things to Michal and the fucker," Nightfall said and headed for the cockpit of the lead land carrier. "Kid, you're coming with me. I ain't gonna let ya wander around by yourself 'cause I definitely don't want your big brother after my head."

"Stop calling me a kid," Adeline growled.

"I'll call you whatever the fuck I want," Nightfall said as he climbed into the cockpit of the land carrier.

"You cuss way too much," Adeline commented as she climbed in after him.

"Tch, like I care," Nightfall snorted.

"How long until we reach Michal and his cell?"

"How the hell should I know? I'm not the driver."

 _This is going to be a long drive,_ Adeline thought as she was reminded of _why_ she only interacted with Nightfall a handful of times.

 **. . .**

 _Outside the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo, Hokkaido_

Lelouch wandered around the area in front of the ward office, scanning his men as they milled around. They were mostly talking with each other but paused to salute him as he walked past to which he responded with an incline of his head as he moved. The wounded from the bombing of the military base had been transported to the nearby hospital; even if there weren't any civilians in the city at the moment; a portion of the medical team had gone with them while the rest remained behind.

He had already subtly started reinforcing his position. While he wasn't entirely sure of when the Liberators would attack, he wasn't about to get caught off guard. If they stuck with their cycle strategy then they would start with guerilla attacks; that was why Lelouch's men's knightmares remained around the city hall, ready for its pilot to return to it. Tadashi and Lila were also in positions on the fifth floor of the Ward Office with sniper rifles to help take out the foot soldiers that Lelouch was sure would be part of the guerillas.

As he walked, his headset went off and he turned on the earphone. "Yes?" he said.

" _Sir, enemy incoming from the northwest, both Major Frost and I spotted them incoming. They're about three kilometers out,_ " Major Parker said.

"Do you know what I am facing?" Lelouch asked.

" _Glasgows and tanks,_ " Major Parker responded. " _It's difficult to tell the numbers from this distance, however. What are your orders?_ "

"Your orders stand. Await my signal," Lelouch said.

" _Yes, Your Highness._ "

Lelouch shut off the communicator and jogged over to join Lieutenant Colonel Glendon. "Enemy inbound. I want the knightmares to form a defensive perimeter around the Office Ward. Foot soldiers are to station themselves within the circle of knightmares and await further orders. Set up the grenade launchers within the perimeter as well," he said firmly.

"Yes, Your Highness," Glendon said with a salute before he darted off, shouting orders while Lelouch headed for his own knightmare.

General Andon fell into step beside him, causing him to blink, though that was his only sign of surprise, since he hadn't seen Andon leave the Office Ward. "General," he greeted him.

"Are you going to take part in this battle, Your Highness?" Andon said.

"Yes," Lelouch said. "If a leader does not lead, how does he expect his subordinates to follow?" Without another word, he moved toward his knightmare, distinguished as the commanding knightmare due to a simple black shoulder plate on its right shoulder, and, using the access cable, immediately climbed into his cockpit. He was a good pilot in his own right and could handle himself in a fight; at the moment, he would just have to focus on having his men drive back the oncoming guerilla attacks while maintaining as much of their strength as possible.

He was a bit surprised when General Andon opened up a channel with him soon after he inserted the activation key and powered up the knightmare.

" _I will accompany you. I'm not exactly content with just sitting aside in a battle,_ " Andon said. " _However, I will follow your orders simply because I know you have a strategy and I am curious about whether it will work._ "

"All right, General," Lelouch said and connected to the rest of his troops. "Prepare for battle. The enemy should be arriving at any moment."

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " the half of the regiment that was stationed around the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office said at once. They moved to their positions and Lelouch, glancing at his tactical display, saw the incoming red blips indicating the enemy.

The first wave of Glasgows crashed into the circle of knightmares around the Ward Office and the Sutherlands retaliated.

Lelouch, grasping the controls of his own Sutherland, glided into the heart of the battle, keeping one eye on the tactical display and another on the enemy. A Glasgow shot toward him, firing a Slash Harken at him but Lelouch dodged out of the way before firing his own Slash Harken back at the enemy. He, pulling out his jousting lance, shot forward and dodged out of the way of a spay of bullets before stabbing the jousting lance into the shoulder of the Glasgow hard enough to push the Glasgow off balance.

Yanking it back, he fired his Slash Harkens, sinking them into the Glasgow's chest and knocking it off its feet. It crashed to the ground and Lelouch quickly glided away when it exploded before moving again when another enemy launched themselves at him.

Connecting to the rest of his men, he began issuing orders to his men. "Squad 3, retreat to point C-3 and fire your Slash Harkens at two o'clock. Squads 4 and 5, provide cover fire," he ordered and watched as the aforementioned Squad fell back and fired their Slash Harkens into a balcony and yanked them out, causing the entire balcony to come crashing down on the tanks that had rolled up beneath it.

The enemy suddenly pulled back, breaking free from whoever they were tangling with and rapidly moving back the way they had come.

 _And so the guerilla tactics begin,_ Lelouch thought as he connected to Dimitri, who was helping to oversee the entire situation from the bridge of the G1 next to the Ward Office. "Status?" he said into his headset.

" _No causalities on our end and no one is reporting severe damage or injury, Your Highness,_ " Dimitri reported.

"Understood." Disconnecting the call, he scanned the location of his men on his tactical display, his mind going over the brief battle that'd just finished. _They'd come in from the northwest. Hmm, will they come in from the same direction or will they switch directions?_ Considering that their cycle strategy proved that the Liberators were capable of making advantageous moves, he wouldn't put it past them to attack from a different direction in their next attack.

As it turned out, he was right.

It was about ten minute later that he received the message of the incoming attack. That was another reason why he had Kay, Parker Frost, Lieutenant Colonel Frost, Jeremiah, and their squadrons stationed where they were. They were also to give him warning from which direction the next guerilla attack would come in.

" _Your Highness, enemy incoming from the northeast,_ " Lieutenant Colonel Frost reported.

"Acknowledged," Lelouch said and connected to the half of the regiment he was in command of. "Enemy incoming from the northeast."

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " the men said.

The second guerilla attack didn't just consist of Glasgows and tanks but also missile launchers. While he couldn't see where the missile launchers were stationed, he knew it was beyond the line of Glasgows and tanks. Dodging out of the way to avoid a missile that was flying at him, he connected to Tadashi and Lila as a _boom_ sounded behind him.

One Sutherland, who was fighting with a Glasgow, was unfortunate enough to get caught in the flight path of another missile. As Lelouch finally connected with his two snipers, he caught sight of the explosion out of the corner of his eyes, his knightmare struck by a few pieces of burning metal.

" _Damn it! Where're those missiles coming from?_ " Glendon, who was just barely able to avoid getting hit with a missile himself, exclaimed.

Lelouch didn't pay attention to what anyone said in response to that as Tadashi's voice echoed in his ear. " _Yes, Your Highness?_ " he asked.

"Do you have a good sight of the northeast end of the battle?" Lelouch asked.

" _Hold on._ " There was the sound of moving feet and then Tadashi's voice said, " _Okay, we do know._ "

"What do you see?"

" _Looks like two squads in trucks. The ones using the missile launchers are at the back of each truck. There're only four of them, Your Highness,_ " Tadashi said.

"Can you take them out?" Lelouch asked as he dodged out of the way of a Slash Harken sent flying at him and fired his own back at the Glasgow. He charged forward, spearing the Glasgow through with his jousting lancing and then pushing it straight into the flight path of the missile he'd seen flying toward him.

He still wasn't used to killing, even though he knew that, in battle, it was kill or be killed. He doubted that he would ever be used to it but he was able to push the revulsion away.

 _Do all soldiers feel this way?_

The shockwave created by the explosion sent him skidding back a few feet, snapping him out of his thoughts and forcing him to refocus on the matter at hand, as his knightmare was battered by flaming debris again but a quick check showed that his knightmare hadn't been damaged. _I need to focus on this battle. I'm a soldier, whether I like it or not, and this is what soldiers do,_ he told himself firmly.

" _We should be able to take out two of them but the other two have a tank in front of them so we don't have a clear shot, Your Highness,_ " Lila's voice said, coolly detached and Lelouch heard her prepare her sniper rifle.

"Take out the first two, Lieutenant, Private," Lelouch said.

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " both of them responded and Lelouch, cutting the transmission, contacted Glendon and issued orders to take out the tank Lila had spotted.

 **. . .**

 _Conference Room, Fourth Floor, Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office_

Tadashi took a deep breath as he aimed the sniper rifle at the man holding the missile launcher, able to see him clearly through the sniper rifle's scope. He has killed before and he knew it but that didn't make it any easier.

"Don't hesitate now, Tadashi," Lila said as she aimed her sniper rifle. "These are terrorists who are trying to kill us after all and it's not as if this is your first time."

"Yeah, I know," Tadashi said. "Doesn't make it any easier. I know I felt sick when I took out that terrorist that tried to kill Lelouch."

"Killing never does. I felt the same way when I took out that sniper even if it had just been an automatic response, taking out that enemy, and I would've done it again in an instant to protect my friend but I still couldn't help but feel sick. I'm sure everyone's felt the same way," Lila said, focusing on the scope before she pulled the trigger. With a _crack_ , the sniper rifle fired and Tadashi, looking into his own scope, watched as one of the men that was using the missile launcher fell over.

Taking another deep breath, Tadashi peered into his scope and fixated his sniper rifle on the second visible terrorist. _This is for my family and my friends, to protect them and keep them safe. A soldier is supposed to protect and defend those who can't protect and defend themselves,_ Tadashi told himself as he took a deep breath and slowly released it as he pulled the trigger.

The bullet sailed across the air and slammed into the head of the second man, causing him to topple over and his missile launcher to fall to the ground.

Dropping down so as to avoid being seen, Tadashi swallowed back the bile that'd arisen in the back of his throat. The same thing had happened back at Osaka. Pushing that thought away, he peered over the edge and swore when he saw something flying toward them.

"Damn it!" He grabbed Lila, startling her, and darted toward the door and dove through it, dragging Lila behind him. The missile that he'd seen coming crashed into the room with a resounding _boom_ and the shockwave struck Tadashi and Lila, along with quite a few pieces of debris, sending them skidding across the floor of the hallway.

Coughing as dust entered his mouth, Tadashi turned to Lila. "You okay?" he asked.

Lila nodded and pushed herself into a sitting position. "Those other two must've caught sight of which direction the shots came from," she said.

"Yeah, that makes sense," Tadashi said.

" _...ate. Private Akiyama! What happened?_ " Lelouch's voice called over Tadashi's headset.

"One of the remaining missile launching people probably spotted which direction the shots had come in and decided to fire at us, Your Highness," Tadashi said.

" _Are either of you injured?_ "

Tadashi looked at Lila who was checking herself. She glanced at him and shook her head. "No, we aren't, Your Highness," he said.

" _Good. The damage is significant. It would not be safe for you two to return to your previous vantage point,_ " Lelouch said. " _Go to your secondary vantage point and await further orders._ "

"Yes, Your Highness," Tadashi said.

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Lila said into her own headset.

The two of them got to their feet before darting to the stairs and taking them to the floor above.

 **. . .**

 _Outside the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo_

" _They're retreating again, Your Highness,_ " Glendon reported soon after he and his men managed to take out the tank that was obstructing Tadashi's and Lila's view of the last two missile launchers. However, the two trucks had been a bit too close to the aforementioned tank and when it was destroyed, it caused the two trucks to explode as well.

Lelouch mused that, sometimes, things did happen due primarily to luck.

"Let them go. I want a status report of the situation. All wounded are to be sent to the medical transport immediately but remain alert. This isn't over yet. I have no doubt we're in for more of these guerilla attacks," he said to all of his men.

He then contacted Tadashi and Lila once he got an acknowledgment from his men. "Have you reached your second vantage point?" he asked.

" _We're here,_ " Lila's voice answered this time.

"Keep an eye out for the enemy," Lelouch said.

" _Yes, Your Highness._ "

Cutting the connection, Lelouch leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes as he wiped the seat from his brow and relaxed for the time being. About five minutes past by before someone contacted him. Opening his eyes, he flipped on his headset again. "Yes?" he said.

" _Your Highness, I've gotten the status report. We've lost three knightmares and two more are badly damaged. No causalities but half a dozen foot soldiers were badly injured in one of those missile attacks. They're being escorted to the medical transport now,_ " Dimitri reported.

"Understood."

Ten minutes went by before Lelouch received word of the direction in which the next guerilla attack would come in, from Jeremiah in the south and, that time, they were attacking only with Glasgows. There weren't any tanks or foot soldiers with this group so Lelouch ordered his foot soldiers to fall back to the G1 and ordered the knightmares forward.

General Andon, in the Sutherland that he'd borrowed for the battle, moved to Lelouch's side as he joined with the rest of his knightmare pilots south of the ward office. " _You're doing well so far, Your Highness,_ " he said.

"While I thank you for the compliment, I suggest saving it until we win," Lelouch said, watching as the enemy Glasgows launched themselves at the line of knightmares in front of them.

Andon hummed. " _Ah, yes. Well, let's see if you really can pull off a miracle, Your Highness,_ " he said.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: I hope I did an all right job on this part of the battle**

 **Nunnally: I think you did a very good job, Blaze**

 **Blaze: thank you, Nunnally**

 **Suzaku: by the way, where's Bakura?**

 **Blaze: I think he's still getting killed by Lelouch for making Nunnally cry last chapter**

 **Suzaku: how is he still alive?**

 **Blaze: (holds up the Numeron Code) I just kept bringing him back to life since he's not immortal like the Emperor and V.V.**

 **Suzaku: I see**

 **Blaze: well, at the very least, I got to the fourth and final arc of this story, even if I'm uncertain of how to start the final arc of this story. I'm also working on _Fall Into Dusk,_ which seems to be getting incredibly complex with paradoxes, timeline jumpers, more supernatural elements, and a more thorough—and non-canon—exploration of Geass.**

 **Suzaku: sounds interesting...and confusing**

 **Blaze: it is meant to be mind-boggling since, while its main genres are adventure and drama, its subgenres are mystery and suspense but that has nothing to do with this story so I'm gonna shut up now (tapes mouth shut with duct tape)**

 **Suzaku: (sweatdrops) I suppose this means that I'm ending this chapter. Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated. Thank you for reading.**


	25. Phase Two of the Tempest

**I just saw the dubbed version of "Betrayal" and I want to smack Ohgi and Schneizel in the face with a frying pan. I also teared up when Rolo died. I may not have liked him that much but still! (Start sobbing)**

 **Bakura: what a wimp!**

 **Ryou: you do know she's going to be even worse off when she sees the dubbed version of "Re;"**

 **Bakura: tch, wimp**

 **(Shoves Bakura off a cliff) Shut up, Bakura! Anyway, it's only been two days since I last updated but I decided, in honor of** _ **finally**_ **reaching the dubbed version of the twentieth episode of** _ **Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2,**_ **that I would post it today.**

 **Anyway, thank you to** _ **Blacksword Zero, halequin320, TC9078, DYnoJackal19, Stickman6969, Shadow-Shinobi666, DarthMaine, Doommajor, B-Kira, OBSERVER01, Adamantium-Soldier74,**_ **and** _ **Scarease**_ **for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are great.**

 **Here is chapter 25, part two of the Battle of Sapporo, and my second update in the month of April. I hope that you enjoy it and reviews, as always, are much appreciated**

 _ **. . .**_

 _August 11, 2011_

 _Island of Olkhon, Europia United_

 _Adeline peered over her big brother's shoulder at the paper that he was reading and frowned, turning to her big brother with a puzzled look. "What're you doing?" the girl asked._

 _"Reading through a report," Unity said without looking up from it._

 _"A report on what?" Adeline asked curiously._

 _Smiling a little, Unity put the paper down and turned to face his ten-year-old sister. "Just something to do with the Liberators. Don't worry about it," he said. "What brings you here?"_

 _"I was bored," Adeline said with a shrug._

 _"You know you could've just asked Nightfall to do something."_

 _Adeline's nose wrinkled. "I don't like him that much and, besides, he kinda disappeared and I don't know where he is," she said._

I doubt anyone really does, except me, _Unity thought. He knew of just how much people didn't like Nightfall because of his rather psychotic tendencies and sadistic nature, especially when he was actively participating on the battlefield._

 _"Hey, why don't we go to the beach, big brother? It's a nice day out and you've been in here for the past couple of hours. You could use some fresh air," Adeline said._

 _"I have work to do, Adeline," Unity said. He had to finish going to the report of a cell of his organization's most recent engagement and assess the strengths of the Britannian military during the engagement based on the reports. Even if his cycle strategy was working, Unity still ensured that he knew more and more about the enemy with each engagement. It would only help him in the end should he ever need to deviate from the cycle, though he honestly didn't think he would have to._

 _"Please?" Adeline asked, gazing up at Unity and widening her eyes, her lower lip jutting out and trembling and her eyes watering._

Damn it! _Unity hated the dreaded puppy dog eyes. Adeline could still get him to do practically anything she wanted when she unleashed those damn eyes. "Fine, for an hour only," he said finally._

 _"Yay!" Adeline cheered, jumping back and grinning broadly, her blue eyes sparkling as she hopped in one place. "Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!"_

 _Unity sighed. "How much sugar have you had today, Adeline?" he asked._

 _"Ummm, before he disappeared, Nightfall gave me three of those big pixie sticks and a couple of chocolate bars, oh and ice cream too," Adeline said happily, bouncing in one place._

 _Unity reminded himself to shout at Nightfall later for giving his little sister so much sugar. "Go and get your swimsuit and let's go to the beach, Adeline," he said._ Hopefully, you'll burn off all that sugar there, _he thought._

 _"Okay!" Adeline darted off._

 _Unity put the report he'd been reading back into its folder and stood up before following his hyper-off-sugar little sister._

 **. . .**

 **25**

 **Phase Two of the Tempest**

 _July 21, 2016_

 _Hidden Base, Island of Olkhon_

Unity wasn't entirely sure what he was feeling. Anger, annoyance, fear, worry; it all mingled within him and has been mingling within him ever since he first discovered that his little sister was missing. That was when the fear and worry had manifested. When he learned, from the tech in the hangar, that his little sister had sneaked onto the transport carrying the Lupi and Nightfall to Hokkaido, that was when the anger manifested.

And when he found out that Nightfall knew all along that she was there, from Nightfall himself, that was when the annoyance set in. It would be just like Nightfall to not bother on informing that his _fourteen-year-old sister_ was heading into the heart of a battle zone.

 _Damn it, Nightfall. You should have kicked her out the instant you knew she was there! She is much too young to fight in an actual battle,_ Unity thought as he paced in his office, glaring at his phone where he'd just got done talking with Nightfall, who had just informed him of his little sister's whereabouts when he heard the panic in Unity's voice.

Unity also knew that, while she was slowly getting over the trauma she'd endured when she was scarred six years earlier, she wasn't over it completely. He wasn't sure whether it would affect her in this battle or not.

"You shouldn't be so worried, Unity. I'm sure she'll be fine," Alexei said. He'd come in earlier to discuss the _Starfire,_ only to hear the tail end of Unity's scolding of Nightfall for not telling him about where Adeline had gone or not bringing her back as soon as he knew she was there.

"You don't know that," Unity snapped. "You don't know what she dealt with six years ago..."

"She seemed fine when she was piloting the _Starfire_ and she seemed eager to fight in actual combat when I suggested that she be the _Starfire's_ permanent pilot."

"She's never experienced combat before, not as an actual fighter anyway," Unity said, running a hand through his hair worriedly. "And she was nearly killed six years ago!"

"You know...I get this odd feeling that your little sister nearly being killed affected _you_ more than it did her," Alexei mused.

Unity whirled around to glare at the scientist. "You weren't there when I had to comfort a crying Adeline waking up from nightmares involving that incident," he snapped.

Alexei held up his hands defensively. "I stand corrected. But now I think that, perhaps, she's come to terms with what happened but you haven't," he said.

Unity scowled and stormed back to his desk, not wanting to admit, out loud, that Alexei may have a point.

"There's really nothing you can do, Unity. She's in Hokkaido now. Unless you wanna postpone the retaking of Sapporo in order to have her returned here, and have to deal with both a pissed-off Adeline and a pissed-off Nightfall as a result," Alexei pointed out.

Unity pressed his lips together but, unfortunately, Alexei had a point. A pissed-off Adeline, he could deal with; a pissed-off Nightfall, on the other hand…

He knew that Nightfall would only be pissed because he would have to postpone getting the chance to kill on the battlefield but Unity had seen a pissed-off Nightfall and he definitely did not want to be on the receiving end of a pissed-off psychopath's wrath.

"As soon as that battle finishes, I'm ordering Adeline's immediate return to the base," he decided. That way, all three parties involved in this situation would be satisfied; Nightfall would get his chance to fulfill his desire to kill on the battlefield, Adeline would get her chance to experience her first battle, and Unity would ensure that his little sister wouldn't end up in another potentially dangerous situation.

 **. . .**

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

Everyone on the Student Council was gathered in front of the television screen, watching the battle that was being recorded live. While they didn't see quite a bit of it, they did hear Ried's commentary about the battle and were occasionally shown fights between knightmares or the backs of the enemy when they fled the first and second time.

They were only watching because they wanted to know about what was happening and because the battle was, currently, the only thing that was on television. Shirley supposed that it was also curiosity, since Lelouch was fighting against the nearly undefeated Liberators and she did wonder if her crush could actually pull off a victory.

" _The Liberators are using a strategy known as guerrilla warfare,_ " Ried was saying as the camera focused on him again. He was standing by the window that offered him a perfect view of the chaos down below in the heart of the city. " _That is why they keep retreating. It would appear as if they have taken to attacking from a different direction in order to ensure that Prince Lelouch's forces keep guessing from which direction they will strike. And yet, somehow, Prince Lelouch has seen through that strategy because his forces have been able to meet each attack head-on._ "

A _boom_ sounded in the background causing Nina to jump.

Nunnally stretched out a hand and Nina, glancing at her, took it and the princess squeezed it.

" _It looks like the enemy has brought in yet another surprise for Prince Lelouch's forces in this third guerrilla attack but it appears to have done little to actually sway the battle in their favor. Prince Lelouch's forces are still going strong,_ " Ried went on.

"Where's Lelouch?" Kallen wondered aloud.

"Yeah, I'm wondering that too," Rivalz admitted.

" _The third wave has been repelled but it looks as if the enemy has taken quite a severe beating this time around. Will the next wave be the last one that the Liberators will be able to launch? Stay tuned,_ " Ried said.

"I hope Big Brother's okay," Nunnally said softly as the screen changed to a commercial and Milly muted it.

Shirley smiled gently at Nunnally and placed her hand on the gentle girl's free one. "I'm sure he is, Nunna," she said, hoping that she was right. "If you don't want to stay and listen to this, Nunna, I can take you..."

"No, I'm okay, Shirley. I prefer spending time with you guys anyway," Nunnally interrupted.

"All right, Nunna," Shirley said.

Ten minutes went by before the 'Breaking News' bulletin flashed across the screen again and Milly unmutted the television as a news reporter came back on the screen.

" _The situation at Sapporo on Hokkaido Island appears to be dying down and it would appear to be falling in favor of Prince Lelouch and the Black Knights,_ " the reporter said. " _We now, once again, go live to Diethard Ried who is at the scene. Diethard?_ "

The screen changed again and Ried stood on the screen again, standing to the side with his gaze fixed out of the window, microphone in hand. " _Thank you, Hannah. Things look as if they are winding down. During the break, another wave of guerillas, a wave that was smaller than the last three due to the large amount of losses from the third wave, launched their fourth assault against Prince Lelouch and the Black Knights. It became clear within the first few minutes of the engagement that Prince Lelouch's forces greatly outnumbered the guerillas and it wasn't long before the outcome was determined in favor of Prince Lelouch,_ " Ried said as the camera panned out to show the fleeing Glasgows, which weren't many, with a few Sutherlands chasing after them. Beyond the window was debris intermingled with pieces of knightmare frames.

The camera panned back to Ried who added, " _Is this the final wave? Or do the Liberators have one more trick up their sleeve? At the moment, there are no answers to those questions but I will remain here until answers to those questions are brought to light. Until then, this is is Diethard Ried at Sapporo on Hokkaido Island. Back to you, Hannah._ "

The screen switched back to the news reporter from earlier. " _We here at HiTV will keep you updated on the situation at Sapporo,_ " the reporter began but Milly muted the television.

"So do you think that it's over?" Rivalz wondered.

"It could be," Shirley said.

"I can't believe he was actually able to drive back the Liberators," Tara murmured, staring at the television with shocked eyes.

 **. . .**

 _Ebetsu Ghetto, Hokkaido, Area 11_

Adeline yawned as she wandered amidst the Liberators that milled around the park next to the abandoned community center that Michal had chosen for his temporary headquarters. The Lupi were stationed at the heart of the park, ready to deploy as soon as Michal gave the order. As it was, she could see Michal talking with Reyes and Nightfall nearby while Reyes and Nightfall glared at each other.

Michal, ignoring the fact that his two allies were glaring at each other, spotted her and waved her over. She jogged across the cracked pavement to join him. "What's up?" she asked.

"Did your brother tell you about the strategy?" Michal asked.

"Yeah, he did. Which one are we using today?"

"Seven was used during the Liberators' engagement with Prince Schneizel so we're going to be using One," Michal said.

Adeline's brow furrowed. "Um, is it possible that our enemy will be expecting that?" she asked.

"Tch, those fuckers don't know a damn thing 'bout our strategy," Nightfall huffed.

"Even if they were able to look at Prince Schneizel's report, they wouldn't be able to figure out what will happen next now that they've fought off our guerrilla attacks," Michal replied. "We've already taken care of ensuring that. Now then, do you know what One is?"

Adeline nodded. "Yeah, I do," she said.

"Good. Then I'm placing you in charge of the East Brigade."

Adeline's eyes went wide and she pointed a finger at herself. "Me?" she echoed.

"Her?" Nightfall and Reyes echoed at the same time and then proceeded to glare at each other again.

"She's just a kid, Michal. She shouldn't even be here," Reyes said, tearing his glare away from Nightfall.

"I ain't got nothing against her being here but I don't think she should be given the responsibilities of an entire brigade. She's never seen battle before," Nightfall said.

Adeline's "I'm not a kid" was completely ignored, causing her to scowl in irritation.

"She's a strong pilot and I am confident in her ability to lead," Michal said simply. "But she won't be leading alone. Petal will be her co-leader and show her the ropes, so to speak."

"I'm not sure that Unity will be happy with this," Reyes said. "I'm honestly surprised that Unity even let Adeline come here."

"Guess he finally got sick of the kid's bitching," Nightfall said with a shrug. "If you're not gonna change your mind, whatever. I'll go ahead and take command of the West Brigade."

"I'll command the North Brigade then and Reyes, you take the South Brigade," Michal said.

"When are we gonna attack?" Adeline asked curiously.

"Tomorrow afternoon," Michal said and began heading toward the community center. "As per the plan, we'll lull them into a sense of security before we strike."

"I suggest we keep an eye on Ried's broadcast of the situation," Reyes said. "I mean it could help us to prevent another incident like what happened with Schneizel from happening again. We can make sure that they've been lulled into a false sense of security by watching that broadcast."

Michal stopped and glanced at Reyes before pressing his lips together in thought. "You know, you raise a good point. We can't underestimate Prince Lelouch," he said.

"Tch, that teenaged brat won't know what hit him," Nightfall said with a cool twist of the lips. "I call dibs on killing the prince. I'm gonna enjoy killing him."

"How do you even know he's going to be fighting?" Adeline asked, while shivering at the twisted smile that was on Nightfall's face. Once again, she was reminded of the reason why she didn't interact with Nightfall often.

"We managed to hack into the system and intercept a few messages before someone who is obviously an expert hacker himself managed to kick us out and is currently stopping us from doing that again," Reyes explained. "And, in one of those message, the prince himself was issuing orders but we could hear the sounds of battle very close to him."

"So he's taken part? I haven't seen very many royals do that," Adeline mused.

"Yeah, well, that don't matter. It just means that it's gonna be so much easier to find the little fucker," Nightfall said with a sadistic grin.

Adeline found herself thankful that, for one, she was on Nightfall's side and, for another, she would be away, _far_ away, from Nightfall when the battle began.

 **. . .**

 _July 22, 2016_

 _Outside the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo_

It was around noon the following day and the sky was overcast and rainy. There was no sun and the bleak, battle-scarred city looked even bleaker in the downpour. Lightning strikes illuminated the sky followed by loud claps of thunder and practically everyone was under some sort of shelter from the rain.

Lelouch stood on the stairs, beneath a canopy, in front of the ward office, gazing out at the rain-drenched streets in front of him that was covered with knightmare parts and blood from the unfortunate foot soldiers that were caught in the explosions from the missiles during the second wave. While he hadn't lost very many men, only about a dozen in the last two waves, he knew that wouldn't be the case in the coming attack.

He honestly wasn't entirely sure what he would be up against. He had no doubt of which strategy the Liberators were going to employ but, beyond that, he had no idea of just what else the Liberators had in store for him. Those canine-like knightmare frames that Schneizel had mentioned in his report were worrisome since, according to the data that he'd retrieved from the abandoned military base that he suspected was linked with the knightmares Schneizel, and everyone else, faced, the only thing he knew about it was that it was a sixth-generation knightmare frame. The rest of the files on that file had been too badly corrupted that he hadn't been able to find out more than what he learned in the summary and from the incomplete schematic.

Of course, there was a chance that he wouldn't have to face that 'Lupus' but Lelouch found that unlikely to be the case. After all, the Lupus, according to the reports, was what Schneizel and quite a few others who'd engaged the Liberators, had faced, according to the description anyway. Sure, it hadn't happened in every engagement but then the schematics hadn't been completed until some time after 2010 and the Liberators have been around for ten years now.

Nonetheless, he was hoping that the strategy he'd worked out to counteract the strategy he strongly suspected the Liberators would use would be enough to win the fight.

He had to win.

He cast a sidelong glance at Andon who had just stepped out of the Ward Office after briefly speaking with Schneizel to update him on the situation. He knew that, while Andon was one of Schneizel's allies, there was no denying that Andon was there to spy on Lelouch for both Schneizel and the Emperor. If he failed then Andon would not only take command but also report the failure to both Schneizel and the Emperor and that was something that Lelouch couldn't let happen.

Failure equaled weakness and uselessness in the eyes of his bastard of a father and Lelouch could not afford to be seen as useless and weak. He _refused_ to be seen as useless and weak, not again.

He turned his gaze back to the rain-drenched streets, jaw clenching but his thoughts were interrupted by Diethard Ried.

"Your Highness, Your Highness," Ried said, coming to a stop in front of Lelouch, drenched from head-to-toe while his cameraman followed him. That, in itself, told Lelouch that Ried was broadcasting live again.

"Yes?" he said.

"Now that the battle's over, may I have an interview on your thoughts about the battle?" Ried asked.

 _Hmm, so he thinks the battle's over,_ Lelouch thought. _I'd best go along. I can't risk the chance that the Liberators are watching. I want them to remain in the dark about what I have planned; I need to draw them in if I want my plan to succeed. So the best move to make would be to show that I, also, believe the battle is over. Let them believe that I've been lulled into a sense of security. I have no doubt that is what they want._

"I did say that I would give you one. Very well. I can't guarantee that I'll answer all your questions though, Mr. Ried," Lelouch said calmly, causing Andon to glance at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Great," Ried said with a grin. "My first question is how does it feel to know that you have joined the short list of those who have successfully defeated the Liberators?"

 _Tough question off the bat,_ Lelouch thought. He hadn't defeated the Liberators yet after all. An idea came into his head. "It simply feels like a sense of accomplishment," he said out loud. "I feel a bit of pride as well but, in truth, it was not entirely my doing. My men certainly played an important role in bringing about this victory against those guerillas yesterday."

He hoped that Ried would change the subject now because Lelouch was walking on thin ice. He had to be careful with how he worded everything he said so as to not give away that he knew the battle wasn't actually over while, at the same time, expressing that he was, indeed, proud of having gotten as far as he had.

Ried hummed in agreement. "It certainly was an impressive victory. It was almost as if you knew from which direction each guerrilla attack was coming from," he said and Lelouch was thankful that he had changed the subject.

"As any military commander knows, one must know the enemy before they can even think about defeating them. Guerrilla attacks were how the Liberators won against anyone else who fought against them, except for against my brother Schneizel, so I had lookouts keeping an eye on all possible routes the Liberators could take to attack," Lelouch said. He added that to help keep what he knew a secret in that he made it seem as if he only knew what the official reports said and didn't know about the omitted information.

"That is true," Ried said with a nod. "What do you plan on doing now, Your Highness?"

"Simply my duty," Lelouch said calmly. "Even if the Liberators are gone, there is still a terrorist threat within Area 11 and I was tasked with helping General Andon eradicate the terrorist threat and, at the moment, my orders have not changed."

Ried chuckled. "Do you believe that the terrorists will think twice about challenging you now that they know you have taken on the Liberators head-on and come out nearly unscathed and victorious?" he asked.

"Whether they will or not will likely depend on who they are. Some may believe it is simply a fluke and may still be willing to challenge me whereas others may believe they won't stand a chance and go to ground," Lelouch replied.

"And if they do challenge you? What will you do?"

"I will accept their challenge head-on and fight them," Lelouch said coolly. "All terrorism does is continue the cycle of hatred and violence. People die in these conflicts. I understand that soldiers know and understand this when they trek onto the battlefield and they have the choice of fighting for freedom or to protect and defend the ones that they love. However, what of the innocents? What of those who cannot fight back and protect or defend themselves? In the escalating violence created by terrorism, these people sometimes get caught in the crossfire, even if it is unintentional. That is but one reason as to why I will fight them should they decide to challenge me."

"You specified that this is but one reason. What are the others?" Ried asked.

"The only other reason I will tell you is this. I fight for the same reason that any soldier chooses to fight; to protect the people I love and keep them safe," Lelouch said simply.

 **. . .**

 _Control Room, A.S.E.E.C.'s Base, Toyohira Ghetto_

Suzaku listened with half an ear to the interview that Lelouch was giving live as he relaxed on a chair in the control room, watching as Lloyd and Cecile moved around the hangar bay, getting the _Lancelot_ prepped for the upcoming battle. He, himself, was a bit nervous to be fighting against such a powerful enemy but he was sure he wasn't the only one, considering the reputation the Liberators had amassed.

His headset buzzed, indicating an incoming call and he turned it on. Just like with the squadrons or other important places, like the G1, the A.S.E.E.C.'s Base had its own channel; naturally, there was also the channel that could be used to speak to every member of the regiment, though only Lelouch knew that one. "This is Warrant Officer Kururugi," he said.

" _Hey, Suzaku, how are you doing?_ " Rayne's voice sounded and Suzaku had to smile at the sulkiness he could hear in her voice. He already knew why Rayne was sulky, though, even now, he still wondered why Rayne hated the rain.

"I'm doing good, Rayne. How are you?" Suzaku asked.

" _Bored out of my mind and not liking my current position. Why did it have to start raining_ now _?_ " Rayne complained. She paused and added, " _Oh, hold on. I'm gonna ask Kay to switch to this channel so he can say hi too._ " She fell silent for a moment as she switched channels and then she came back on along with another voice.

" _Hello, Suzaku, how are you?_ " Kay said.

"I'm good," Suzaku replied. "How are you?"

" _Better than Rayne. She's sulking,_ " Kay said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

" _I am not sulking,_ " Rayne whined.

Kay snorted. " _You always start sulking when it rains,_ " he said. " _We shouldn't talk for very long, just in case we get intercepted._ "

" _I know but it's not like we're talking 'bout anything important really,_ " Rayne said.

" _True._ "

" _Anyway…_ " Rayne trailed off.

" _You don't know what to talk about, do you?_ " Kay asked.

" _...Shut up,_ " Rayne muttered.

Suzaku chuckled as another voice joined the channel.

" _Hey, I think I got the right channel this time. Um, this is the A.S.E.E.C.'s base, right?_ " Tadashi's voice sounded hopeful, likely because if he had accidentally contacted anyone else then he would've probably been yelled at.

Suzaku chuckled again. "Yeah, it is," he said.

" _Great, Lila, it's 3A,_ " Tadashi said.

" _I honestly do not know how you talked me into this,_ " Lila's voice said with a sigh. " _We should not be doing this._ "

" _All we're doing is saying hi to a friend, that's it,_ " Tadashi huffed. " _Hi Suzaku._ "

"Hey Tadashi," Suzaku said. "Hey Lila."

" _Hello Suzaku,_ " Lila replied.

"How are you?"

" _I'm doing good. And you?_ "

"The same." Out of the corner of his eye, Suzaku saw that Ried's interview with Lelouch had ended and he was now giving a summary of the previous battles as the camera focused on him.

Another voice joined in on the channel at that moment. " _Hello Suzaku,_ " Dimitri said.

"Hello Dimitri. Do you need something?" Suzaku asked.

" _Other than to give you a message from His Highness, no. He contacted me and told me to tell you, or rather Earl Lloyd, that he will be there in a few hours in order to check on Lloyd's work personally,_ " Dimitri said.

That was actually a code phrase that Lelouch and Suzaku had developed in person when they were discussing Suzaku's part in the upcoming engagement. It basically meant that they should get ready because things were going to start soon.

"Understood. I'll let Earl Lloyd know," Suzaku said.

" _So how are you doing, Dimitri?_ " Tadashi asked curiously.

" _I'm well, just working as you should be doing,_ " Dimitri said.

" _I am working,_ " Tadashi huffed and then Suzaku heard the crunch of chips and sweatdropped.

" _...Where did you get that?_ " Lila asked.

" _Vending machine a couple of hours ago...What? I got hungry so I got me two bags but I only ate one of them then. Want some?_ " Tadashi asked.

" _No. I do not like salty junk food all that much,_ " Lila said. " _Where'd you get the money for that anyway?_ "

" _Found it,_ " Tadashi said as he continued to munch on the chips.

Lila sighed.

" _And how, exactly, is that working?_ " Dimitri asked dryly.

" _Keeping my strength up while I work,_ " Tadashi said.

Suzaku chuckled again.

"Suzaku?" Cecile said as she walked into the control room.

"Yes, Cecile?" Suzaku said, turning to the indigo-haired woman.

"Have you had lunch yet? I'm trying to get Lloyd to take a break from work to eat but he's being stubborn again. I have some sandwiches in the break room's fridge if you're hungry," Cecile said.

"What kind of sandwiches?" Suzaku asked.

"Oh it has wasabi and pickles on it. It's my newest creation," Cecile said with a bright smile.

Suzaku blinked at that combination and decided that he wasn't going to risk trying it, not now anyway. "I'm not hungry right now, Cecile, but thank you," he said politely.

"Oh. Okay. Tell Lloyd when he finally drags himself away from the _Lancelot_ that I'm in the break room," Cecile said.

"Sure thing."

Cecile left the control room and Suzaku returned his attention to the conversation between his friends.

 **. . .**

 _Abandoned Military Base, Southeast of Sapporo_

Jeremiah sighed as he relaxed against the leg of his knightmare, gazing at Kewell and Villetta who'd joined him in that warehouse where they were hiding for the time being. The rest of his squadron were scattered throughout the area as per the orders of Prince Lelouch. He knew of what Prince Lelouch's plan was and had to admit that it was a good one and stood a strong chance of succeeding if the Liberators moved as Prince Lelouch suspected they would.

Kewell was pacing while Villetta was seated cross-legged next to her knightmare, looking bored out of her mind. They had been there for the past few days with nothing to do since they'd arrived at Sapporo and Jeremiah had to admit that it was dreadfully boring. He understand that it was necessary to remain hidden but that meant that they, virtually, had nothing to do.

"Are we even sure that this plan of His Highness will work?" Kewell asked finally. "How does he even know if the Liberators will move the way he says they will?"

"He simply said that he suspects they will move this way, Kewell," Jeremiah said, pushing himself away from his knightmare frame. "Besides, no matter how the Liberators attack, our current position can help us because it'll give us the element of surprise."

"Jeremiah's got a point," Villetta said, looking up. "The Liberators don't know we're here."

"That we know of," Kewell said pessimistically.

"You've turned pessimistic since we joined the military, Kewell," Jeremiah mused.

"I prefer the term realistic," Kewell said, stopping in his pacing and turning to Jeremiah. "I will admit that Prince Lelouch is a decent commander but...I think that he may be in over his head right now."

Jeremiah bit his lip to stop himself from jumping to his prince's defense because, while he wouldn't put it the same way as Kewell, he did have his own misgivings about his young prince's ability to handle such a powerful enemy. Still, from the tone in Kewell's voice, it was as if he didn't have any confidence in Prince Lelouch's ability to win.

"He has General Andon working with him, Kewell. I'm sure if things go south then the General can take control of the situation," Villetta pointed out.

"Yeah, that's true," Kewell said.

"Do you truly believe Prince Lelouch won't be able to win?" Jeremiah asked finally.

"Frankly, yes," Kewell said. "He's too inexperienced. Winning against the Crimson Sakuras is one thing but actually winning against the Liberators? That's on a completely different level."

"I believe that Prince Lelouch will be able to pull off a victory here," Jeremiah said. "Even without experience, he's a brilliant strategist."

"We won't know until the battle actually begins," Villetta pointed out.

Just then, Jeremiah's headset chimed and he turned it on. "This is Margrave Gottwald, what is it?" he asked.

" _Sir, enemy incoming, about three kilometers out,_ " another member of the Purist Faction stated firmly.

"Understood. Get prepared to move but maintain your current position for now," Jeremiah ordered.

" _Yes, sir,_ " the purist said.

Jeremiah passed on that message to the rest of the Purist Faction as well as Prince Lelouch and turned off his headset. "Looks like the enemy's here," he said and headed for the access cable to get into his knightmare and prepare for the coming assault. He made sure to keep his knightmare off, however, to avoid alerting anyone to his location, since it would turn on his IFF Transponder.

As he settled into the cockpit's seat, he saw Villetta and Kewell doing the same and received confirmation that the rest of the Purist Faction were in position and awaiting further orders. Now he simply had to wait for the order from his prince.

 **. . .**

 _Hokkaido Shrine Ruins, Nishi Ghetto, Hokkaido_

Kay, cutting off the conversation he and Rayne were having with Suzaku and the rest of their friends, darted over to the access cable of his knightmare the instant his lookout told him of the approaching enemy. He could see Rayne doing the same; they were currently hiding in the ruins of an old shrine that gave them a pretty decent view of path leading to Sapporo due to its slightly elevated position. It was still raining, though, but it wasn't coming down as hard as earlier.

"Looks like the fight's about to begin," Rayne said as she sat on her cockpit chair and pushed her wet hair out of her face. Even though they were within the shrine itself, the roof had collapsed and that meant that both of them were drenched from the downpour earlier. "Do you think Lelouch was right 'bout what the Liberators are gonna do?"

"I don't know but I think he was. We won't know until we get there," Kay said softly as he puled out the activation key and held it in his hand until he got the confirmation from Lelouch to launch. The plan depended on the four groups remaining hidden until the appropriate time.

Switching to the channel that connected him to the rest of the squadron, Kay went on, "Our orders stand. We are to remain here until we receive the signal. Do not engage the enemy that is approaching and keep your knightmare off."

" _Yes, sir,_ " the rest of his squadron said at once.

Kay then briefly contacted Lelouch to tell him of the incoming enemy and fell silent as he waited for the order, his thoughts drifting to the past couple of days. As he had been stuck at the shrine for the past few days, he hadn't been able to talk with his brother Matthias. Soon after he'd sent that letter while they were heading toward the island, he'd received a call from Matthias who stated that he wanted to speak to Kay on the phone. Unfortunately, since they were about to head into the underwater railway when he received the call, he had to reschedule.

He knew that his sister wouldn't want to speak to Matthias but he did. As he told Rayne, he was willing to give his siblings a second chance. He just wished that Rayne would be willing to, at least, _talk_ with their siblings. He knew that they hadn't been there for them while he and Rayne had been growing up but they were _trying_ to make up for that now.

 _Sometimes, things happen that you can't let go of or, more likely, don't want to let go of…_

Lelouch's words echoed in Kay's head and he knew that those words still held true for his twin.

"Wonder how long we're gonna have to wait? The past couple of days have been boring as hell," Rayne said. "And this rain is not helping matters." She glared at the rain, blinking it out of her eyes.

Kay chuckled. "You've gotta get over this hatred for rain, Rayne," he said, lips quirking in amusement.

Rayne just pouted.

 **. . .**

 _Hangar, A.S.E.E.C.'s Base, Toyohira Ghetto_

Suzaku zipped up the white pilot suit as he walked down the hallway and slipped into the hangar where the technicians were busy running around, getting everything ready for when it was time for Suzaku to launch. The _Lancelot_ stood in all its white glory, towering over everyone, its Master Vibration Swords deactivated and resting on its sides, ready to be drawn at any moment. The maintenance stairs remained by the white knightmare frame as Suzaku moved toward it, grabbing the access cable and using it to reach the cockpit's seat.

Cecile was on the maintenance stairs, flickering her gaze from the computer she was studying to Suzaku. "We haven't received our orders yet but you may as well get situated; I have no doubt that you'll be told to launch soon enough," she said.

Suzaku nodded and slipped into the cockpit's seat but remained seated since he knew that activating his knightmare would cause his IFF Transponder to activate and that would alert the enemy to his position. As he relaxed and waited for the order to launch, he found himself thinking about the coming battle.

"The Master Vibration Swords should work," Cecile went on. "We've run many tests on them and they've passed all of them; the only test we have left is to test them out in real combat."

Suzaku nodded.

"Best of luck, Suzaku," Cecile said and guided the maintenance stairs away from the _Lancelot_ before making her way down them and over to the control room.

Suzaku took a deep breath and released it as he pulled out the _Lancelot's_ activation key but remained where he was until he got the order to launch.

 **. . .**

 _Bridge, G1 Base, Sapporo_

Dimitri studied the tactical map that dominated the heart of the bridge, his lips pressed together as his fingers ran across the keyboard that lay in front of him. He switched his attention from the map to the computer that he was currently working on. The tactical map showed that the Liberators were still about two kilometers away from the city but it also showed that they were coming in at all sides, which was what Prince Lelouch was counting on.

Dimitri wasn't entirely sure just how the prince knew of what strategy the Liberators were going to employ, though he had a feeling it dealt with those unaltered documents he had been asked to find. However, the strategy that the prince was going to use in retaliation of the Liberators' strike would definitely give the 11th Regiment—he still called it that while everyone else had taken to calling it by its nickname—the element of surprise.

However, he could see that the 11th Regiment was still vastly outnumbered. At the moment, they were outnumbered three to one and, even when the other half of the regiment joined in the fight, they would still be outnumbered. Their numbers told Dimitri that had the portion that was sent to guard Hakodate was with them, they would be able to easily overrun the 11th Regiment. As it was, they were still likely to overrun them.

He found himself hoping Prince Lelouch knew what he was doing.

A _ping_ sounded and Dimitri immediately went to work when he realized that a message was being sent by the enemy. It took some time but, eventually, he managed to snag the message, save a copy, and then send it on its way without any alterations. Opening the copy, he briefly read the message, brow furrowed in thought.

Turning on his earpiece and connecting to Prince Lelouch, he said, "I found something that you might want to know, Your Highness."

" _What is it?_ " Prince Lelouch asked.

"The enemy's command is stationed north of the city and the message is to someone who appears to be south of our position. The message simply said: _try to get to the prince before Nightfall. Unity wants the prince alive,_ " Dimitri reported.

Prince Lelouch was silent for a long moment. " _Understood. I will keep that in mind. Do we know who this Nightfall is?_ " he asked.

Dimitri, closing the message, began looking for information about Nightfall, searching Nightfall in conjunction with the Liberators as well as by himself. He frowned to himself because nothing seemed to be popping up. "Nothing, Your Highness," he said.

" _And Unity?_ "

He repeated the process for Unity but came up empty as well. "Nothing, Your Highness," he said.

" _Hmm, I suspect that Unity and Nightfall may be associated with the leadership, or could possibly be the leaders themselves. By keeping information about themselves limited to either just themselves or to their followers, it lowers the chances of being found by their enemy. Very well, Major Duncan. Keep monitoring their communications. If you intercept anything else, whether you believe it is important or not, contact me immediately,_ " Prince Lelouch ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness," Dimitri said and turned the microphone off, returning his attention to the computer screen.

 **. . .**

 _South of the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo_

Lelouch settled in his knightmare frame, turning it on and scanning the tactical display as it flickered to life in front of him. The warning he'd just received from Jeremiah, Kay, and the two other Frost Siblings had told him that the Liberators appeared to be doing exactly what he thought they would do. They were attacking from all sides, attempting to flank the Black Knights, or half of it anyway, on all sides.

It was a common move but an effective one.

Unless one figured out how to counter it.

Lelouch smiled to himself as he recalled just _where_ the rest of his regiment were stationed. The Liberators were not going to know what hit them. However, while he was confident that his ploy would work, he knew not to get cocky since he still didn't know exactly what he would be facing. Whether it would be those odd canine-like 'Lupus'—if that was what those canine-like knightmares Schneizel and everyone else faced were, though Lelouch was almost positive that they were—or something else entirely.

He would have to wait for the battle to begin to figure that out.

He did find Dimitri's message to be a bit worrisome and thinking about that intercepted message made him think about how he was nearly kidnapped at Osaka. _Is it possible that the Liberators were behind my near-kidnapping? It would make sense, especially considering that terrorist had said that her leader wanted me alive, and so did the leader of this cell of the Liberators. But why?_ He didn't know the answer to that.

General Andon's knightmare came to his side at that moment, distracting him from his thoughts, and opened up a channel with him. " _It would seem that your prediction about the Liberators' move was true,_ " he commented casually.

"Indeed," Lelouch said, a small smile on his face, deciding that now wasn't the time to attempt to figure out why the Liberators wanted him alive. He had a battle to focus on.

" _While I think I have figured out your plan, it still seems a bit far-fetched, considering how little we know about the Liberators,_ " Andon said.

"Do you still believe it will take a miracle for me to win?" Lelouch asked as he looked at the tactical display and then at the screen that showed the city in front of him. The line of his men's knightmare frames, the foot soldiers that were hidden with missile launchers should they become necessary, and the buildings that lay beyond. He only had a view of the south, as that was the direction he was facing, so he only saw the wave that was coming from the south.

" _Yes, I do,_ " Andon said as he prepared for battle. " _So let us see if you can pull off this miracle, Your Highness, for our enemy's here._ "

The knightmares that were attacking were, indeed, canine-like; bronze in color, they were about a third of the height of an average knightmare frame but its length equaled that of a knightmare frame's height. It moved on four legs, which was what gave it its canine appearance, though it didn't have a tail. Its factsphere was on its forehead and its 'paws' appeared to have curved claws that appeared to have crystalline tips.

Lelouch pressed his lips together. These looked exactly like the Lupus schematic he'd got from the main computer at that abandoned military base. _So this is what I'm facing,_ he thought as the knightmares launched themselves at the enemy.

They weren't alone though. Squads of soldiers in trucks were following suit, using the gaps created by the knightmares' attacks to surge past the line of defense. However, Lelouch also had his own men ready and waiting, as he'd suspected that they wouldn't just send knightmares after him after all, according to the reports he'd read in which the Liberators used this strategy, they always had squads of foot soldiers to take on any foot soldiers that were fighting. They were also the ones with the weapons that could severely damage a knightmare itself, such as missile launchers and grenade launchers. He did see that some members of the squads of Liberators had both missile and grenade launchers.

Keying on the communicator and connecting to the channel that connected him to all of his forces, he began issuing orders. "Maintain a defensive line. Squads 3 and 4, move to point E2. Squads 5 and 6, move to point W1, Squads 1 and 2 to point S2 and Squads 7 and 8 to point N1. Be prepared, they have missile launchers and grenade launchers. All knightmare units, attack at will," he ordered as he launched his knightmare at the nearest Lupus, firing a barrage of bullets at it. The Lupus darted out of the way to avoid the barrage and then shot toward Lelouch, those crystalline-tipped claws slashing toward him but Lelouch quickly moved out of the way. He had this odd feeling he did not want to see what those claws did firsthand.

" _Your Highness!_ " Glendon's voice called over the channel. " _You've gotta be careful with those claws! They can cut through metal!_ "

" _Copy that, Lieutenant Colonel,_ " Lelouch said and connected to the rest of the half of the regiment scattered around him. " _This is Prince Lelouch. Beware the claws of these new Lupus knightmare frames. They can cut through metal._ "

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " the group acknowledged and Lelouch guided his knightmare out of the way to avoid another slash from the Lupus he was fighting. He grabbed his jousting lance and shot forward, nearly impaling the knightmare in the shoulder had it not jumped backwards out of the way.

 _Hmm, seems to have the agility of a wolf, probably due to how it was designed,_ Lelouch thought and winced when a barrage of bullets slammed into his knightmare frame from the two assault rifles that had popped up on the Lupus's shoulders. _And two assault rifles positioned where they are. Hmm._

Moving to the side to avoid another barrage from the two assault rifles, Lelouch fired a Slash Harken at the Lupus's shoulder, successfully severing the assault rifle, and he repeated the process but the Lupus dodged the attack and charged at Lelouch. Jumping out of the way, Lelouch stabbed at the Lupus that shot past him, sinking the jousting lance into the canine-like knightmare's side and throwing it off its feet.

Retracting the jousting lance, Lelouch fired his Slash Harkens at the Lupus as it struggled to get back to its feet, taking out the second assault rifle with the first and destroying the Lupus's factsphere on its forehead with the second. The Lupus slumped forward as the cockpit ejected, flying rapidly away from the fallen knightmare.

Looking at this tactical screen, Lelouch saw that there didn't appear to be any more new enemies showing up. He and his regiment had been completely surrounded by the new enemy, just as the Liberators had likely planned, but it was also just as he had planned himself.

Gliding backwards to avoid another Lupus that launched itself at him, Lelouch connected to Jeremiah, Kay, Lieutenant Colonel Frost, and Major Parker and, to each of them respectively, stated, "You are clear to engage. I repeat, you are clear to engage."

 **. . .**

 _East of the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo_

"Man, I still love piloting these things," Adeline exclaimed as she thrust the controls forward, propelling her 'paws' forward as she launched herself at another enemy, unleashing a barrage of bullets from her assault rifles. She dodged out of the way to avoid a Slash Harken that had been fired at her and, with a jerk of her controls, she lifted one of her paws and slashed at the enemy, sinking the Diamond-tipped claw straight into the knightmare's leg, cutting a deep gash in it.

She then jumped back and unleashed a barrage of bullets into the gash that led to a small explosion that severed the leg, causing the knightmare to stagger and then topple onto its side. Adeline jumped toward it, sinking her Diamond-tipped Claws into the side and chest of the knightmare and ripping outwards. She jumped back as the cockpit ejected and the knightmare exploded, her Lupus hit by small pieces of flaming metal.

She then glanced at her screen, looking for a new enemy, only to widen her eyes in shock when she saw the score of enemy blips that were surging forward from all four directions. " _Where the hell did those come from?_ " she shouted in shock.

 **. . .**

 _West of the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo_

" _Where the fucking hell did those fuckers come from?_ " Nightfall shouted, staring at the enemy that was surging toward them from all four directions. He hadn't noticed them at all when he'd looked at his tactical display while leading the West Brigade past the ruins of the Hokkaido Shrine to attack the enemy.

Pushing his surprise aside, Nightfall laughed. "Oh you're just giving me more people to kill. Wonderful!" he said gleefully and launched himself at another enemy, tackling them as he had caught them off guard, since they were fighting another Lupus. He sank one Diamond-tipped Claw into the knightmare's chest and the other straight into the face where he knew that the cockpit was located. The first had pierced the knightmare's Yggdrasil Drive while the second pierced the pilot themselves so that when he withdraw that Claw, it was coated in blood.

Jumping back to avoid the resulting explosion, Nightfall launched himself at another enemy, eyes alit with satisfaction as he crashed into another enemy and peppered them with bullets. The Britannian knightmare dodged out of the way and shot toward him, intent on piercing him with their lance. Big mistake. Swiftly moving to one side, Nightfall slashed his Diamond-tipped Claw downward, slicing through the knightmare's arm and severing it.

As the knightmare whirled around and fired two Slash Harkens at him, Nightfall responded by grabbing the controls and yanking them, causing his Lupus's hindlegs to bend and then he jumped up and forward to avoid the Slash Harkens. As he fell back down, he used his Claws to sever the cables connecting the Slash Harkens to the knightmare; the Slash Harkens themselves flew into the building behind him, shattering windows, as the cables fell limply to the ground.

He dashed forward, tackling the knightmare to the ground and ripped the knightmare's chest open with its claws, revealing the mechanical innards, including the casing protecting the Yggdrasil Drive. Swiftly, he sank a Claw into the Yggdrasil Drive and then jumped off the knightmare, whirling around and launching himself at another enemy as the one he'd just been fighting exploded.

He glanced at his tactical display, noticing that the enemy blips he'd seen coming from all four directions had reached the battle and, looking up at the real-time screen, he could see a squadron of knightmares launching themselves at the enemy from the west.

He licked his lips, a grin stretching across his face as he propelled his Lupus forward to meet the new enemy head-on.

 **. . .**

Rayne darted into the battle alongside her brother, firing her Slash Harkens at the closest enemy and jumping to the side to avoid the bullets from the assault rifles on its shoulders. Lelouch's message that he had broadcast to the entire regiment rang in her head. _So those claws are gonna prove bothersome,_ she thought as she unleashed a barrage of bullets from her assault rifle at the Lupus, Lelouch had told them that was what these canine-like knightmares were called in that message as well, but it dodged out of the way.

" _Rayne, move back now,_ " Kay ordered and Rayne, blinking in confusion, did as she was told, causing the knightmare to leap toward her, only to get two Slash Harkens sinking into its side and throwing it off its feet. Kay retracted the Slash Harkens and Rayne shot forward, jamming her jousting lance into the Lupus's chest. She must have hit the right spot because the cockpit ejected and the knightmare exploded, sending metal flying in all directions.

"Thanks," Rayne said to her brother.

" _No problem,_ " Kay said as Rayne moved back to her brother's side and the two of them launched themselves at the next enemy that they could see. As the canine-like knightmare launched itself at the twins, they separated and Rayne, whirling around, fired her Slash Harkens at it while Kay peppered it with a barrage of bullets, leading to the cockpit ejecting and the knightmare exploding.

A scream sounded over the channel and Rayne's eyes widened as a 'LOST' flashed on her screen showing where one of their comrades's knightmare had been moments before. She and Kay whirled around to see a Lupus jumping backwards and Rayne gasped when she saw that one of its claws was dripping blood.

" _What. The. Hell?_ " Kay exclaimed. " _Did he really just…?_ " He couldn't finish the statement but Rayne felt slightly sick realizing what it was her brother had been about to say.

"Who is that?" she asked as the knightmare they were watching launched itself at another enemy.

" _I don't know,_ " Kay said.

 **. . .**

 _South of the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo_

Jeremiah crashed a Slash Harken into the shoulders of the knightmare, the Lupus as Prince Lelouch called them, that he was fighting, taking out both of the assault rifles swiftly. Now he simply had to worry about those Claws that could, apparently, cut through metal. The Lupus he was fighting darted off to the side to avoid the barrage of bullets Jeremiah sent flying at it and he decided to exchange the assault rifle in favor of his jousting lance.

He shot forward, slamming his jousting lance into the Lupus's shoulder and then jumped back as the Lupus slashed out at him, narrowly avoiding those metal-cutting claws. He fired his Slash Harkens at the Lupus again, sinking it into the injured shoulder and severing the paw, causing the Lupus to wobble. With one more thrust of his jousting lance, Jeremiah destroyed the Lupus's factsphere and forced the pilot to eject. "How are things looking on your end?" he asked Villetta and Kewell; they had been separated soon after they'd arrived at the battle scene.

" _Good so far. These are tough knightmares to beat though,_ " Villetta said. " _Kewell and I had to work together to take out one since it managed to disarm me._ "

" _Those claws are certainly making things harder though,_ " Kewell said.

Jeremiah, launching himself at another enemy, said, "If you damage the shoulder enough, if you can't sever it, then that should make it more difficult for them to use those claws against you," he said. He had done that with the first Lupus he'd fought.

" _We'll keep that in mind, Lord Jeremiah,_ " Villetta said.

Jeremiah looked around, wondering how his prince was doing. The battle seemed to be concentrated around the Ward Office, though, according to his tactical display, some dog fights appeared to have drifted away from the ward office; some of those had ended up near the Clock Tower, some were in the streets leading to the ward office, and some were in Odori Park.

He spotted his prince's knightmare fighting nearby and smiled when he noticed that Prince Lelouch was holding his own. Despite being scrawny, it was clear that Prince Lelouch was a decent knightmare pilot. _He must have gotten that from Marianne,_ Jeremiah mused before refocusing his attention on the battle as another Lupus leapt at him.

 **. . .**

 _East Wing Conference Room, Fifth Floor, Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office_

"This is Diethard Ried, reporting live from the city of Sapporo where Prince Lelouch and the Black Knights has been ambushed by the Liberators that we all thought had been defeated," Ried said as he peered through the window at the ferocious battle that was taking place below them. It was pure chaos; even with the addition of the second half of the regiment, it was clear that the Liberators still outnumbered the Black Knights slightly.

"The Liberators struck when everyone had assumed that the battle was over and there is no doubt that they were hoping to take the regiment by surprise, thus allowing them the upperhand. However, Prince Lelouch seemed aware of the Liberators' move because he and his men were prepared for the assault before it began. Even though they were outnumbered as much as three to one, they still held their own until Prince Lelouch unleashed a surprise of his own, revealing that he had split his forces in half in preparation for the Liberators' assault. Thus, when the Liberators struck, the second half of the Black Knights swarmed in and succeeded in boxing the Liberators in."

Ried turned his gaze to the chaos again. "What chaos," he said as he watched a Sutherland explode and then a Lupus being thrown off its feet by two Slash Harkens crashing into its side. "The battle is truly chaotic and the Black Knights are clearly holding their own despite the Liberators' superior numbers and the unique knightmare frames that they are using. Just how does Prince Lelouch plan on winning this fight? As of right now, I do not have the answers to that. Stay tuned. This is Diethard Ried, live from the city of Sapporo on Hokkaido Island."

While listening to Ried's report on the situation, Tadashi peered out the window at the madness below and turned to Lila who was seated next to him. "What is Lelouch's plan?" he asked. "I mean, I get that boxing the Liberators in as he had was part of his plan but was that it?

"I have no idea," Lila said.

"Is it possible he doesn't have a plan?"

"I suppose so but Lelouch doesn't seem like the kind of person to not have a plan. Like Suzaku said, Lelouch never does anything without a reason," the blonde sniper replied.

"True." Tadashi peered through the window, looking to the north of the battle, watching as knightmares clashed against knightmares. "At least they're holding their own."

Lila nodded in agreement.

The Ward Office suddenly shuddered violently, causing Ried and the cameraman to be knocked off their feet, the camera landing on the cameraman's stomach. Tadashi and Lila, both of whom had been sitting and so saved from being thrown to the ground, exchanged glances.

"What was that?" Tadashi asked.

The building trembled rapidly again and Lila, grabbing the windowsill, pulled herself to her feet and peered out the window. Tadashi followed suit and peered out the window, just in time to see a knightmare thrown into the first floor of the Ward Office, causing a shudder to travel through the building again. Then he swore when he saw two missiles crash into the hole created by the Sutherland's entry, which was, unfortunately, right below where Tadsahi, Lila, Ried, and the cameraman were located. The resounding explosion caused a violent tremble to ripple throughout the building.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: well, that's part two of the Battle of Sapporo (and yes cliffhanger)**

 **Lelouch: where's Bakura?**

 **Blaze: (peers over the edge of the cliff) still falling**

 **Luciano: what the hell? How high is that cliff? (Peers over the edge)**

 **Suzaku: (shoves Luciano over the edge)**

 **Luciano: (shouts as he's falling) fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu**

 **Lelouch: all right, what did he do this time?**

 **Suzaku: (shrugs) he insulted Euphie**

 **Lelouch: I see** **(shrugs) then it's his own fault**

 **B** **laze: anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter will be up the day the sixth spinoff series of the** _ **Yu-Gi-Oh**_ **series,** _ **Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS,**_ **airs in Japan (smirks). Reviews, as always, are much appreciated and thank you for reading.**


	26. The End of the Storm

**A twenty page chapter, a lot of character development for Rayne in this chapter—so sorry about that but her part in this chapter kind of got away from me—and the final part of the Battle of Sapporo. Yay!**

 **Bakura: did you have to shout?**

 **Shut up, Bakura. Plus, this is my first update in May! Funny that I'm updating a** _ **Code Geass**_ **on unofficial** _ **Star Wars**_ **day but ah well. Anyway, thank you to** _ **Rc1212, DYnoJackal19, barksdale2468, B-Kira, Shadow-Shinobi666, DarthMaine, TC9078, Mr. Q, Doommajor, Scarease, YDdraigGoch94, Adamantium-Soldier74,**_ **and** _ **OBSERVER01**_ **for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome!**

 **Bakura: STOP SHOUTING, FOOLISH MORTAL!**

 **You're the one that's shouting now. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _August 1, 2004_

 _Frost Manor, Pendragon_

 _Five-year-old Rayne wandered around the gardens of the manor, not really sure what she was doing. She was bored and she had no idea where her brother was. Then again, she didn't know where any of her siblings or her parents were. She wanted to play with someone but she didn't know who to play with._

 _There were a lot of red and orange leaves littering the garden from the trees and Rayne noticed that they were being raked into two large piles by the gardeners. She also then noticed that she wasn't alone in the gardens; the tall, dark-blue haired form of her thirteen-year-old sister Gretchen was seated cross-legged on the ground near one of the piles, reading through a book._

 _She grinned._ Maybe Gretchen will play with me, _she thought and jogged over to join he sister. "Gretchen," she called in that whiny tone that always got on her brother Matthias's nerves._

 _Gretchen looked up. "Rayne, what are you doing here?" she asked._

 _"I'm bored. Come play with me," Rayne said firmly._

 _"I'm busy, Rayne, perhaps another time," Gretchen said._

 _"But you're always busy," Rayne whined in protest. "Can't you take a break or something? We can go jumping in leaves! That's fun!"_

 _"Rayne, I have work to do," Gretchen said firmly and returned her attention to her book._

 _"You're no fun! All you do is read, read, read," Rayne complained and then a brilliant, to her, idea came to her. She grabbed the book and yanked it out of Gretchen's hands and then waved it in front of her._

 _"You gotta catch me if you want it back," she said and, with a laugh, she darted away._

 _"Give me back my book, you little brat," Gretchen shouted, jumping to her feet and chasing after Rayne but the little girl just laughed as she ran around the garden, always attempting to stay at least a few feet in front of Gretchen._

 _When she reached one of the big piles of leaves, though, she tripped and went, with a yelp, flailing backwards into the big pile of leaves, Gretchen's book that she hadn't realized she'd let go of, landing beside her._

 _Gretchen reached down and picked up the book, rolling her eyes at Rayne as she sat up, pouting with leaves sticking out of her hair. "You look like you got into a fight with a tree and lost," she said._

 _Rayne blinked at her in confusion. "Why would I fight a tree? What did the tree ever do to me?" she asked in bewilderment._

 _Gretchen let out a soft laugh, the first one that Rayne had heard in a long time, and flopped onto the pile of leaves next to Rayne. "I suppose I can finish reading here. It's not that uncomfortable," she said. She picked up a handle of leaves and plopped them on Rayne's head as she laid back._

 _"Hey," Rayne whined but Gretchen just laughed again before returning her attention to her book._

 **. . .**

 **26**

 **The End of the Storm**

 _July 22, 2016_

 _South of the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo_

Lelouch gritted his teeth as he felt a barrage of bullets slam into his knightmare's arm though, thankfully, it wasn't enough to make it unable to function. He was being pushed back toward the ward office by the current Lupus that he was fighting and, at the moment, all of his men were focused on their own fights. He pressed his lips together as he dodged out of the way of the next barrage of bullets and fired a Slash Harken at one of the assault rifles, only for the Lupus to quickly glide out of the way and continue peppering him with bullets.

As he danced out of the way of the bullets, Lelouch glanced at his tactical screen, noticing that, while a few dog fights had erupted beyond the perimeter that the second half of his regiment had created, the Liberators were still boxed in. _Good. Now I just need them to keep those Liberators in place. The Lupus seems to work better if it has space to maneuver. If I can cut off that space, I could give an advantage to the regiment,_ he thought.

Suddenly, a resounding _boom_ sounded and Lelouch whirled around, swearing when he saw the entire east wing of the ward office collapse, causing the ground to tremble violently and throwing the foot soldiers, enemy and ally alike, off their feet. He quickly connected with Lila in the ward office.

"Lieutenant Moore? Are you and everyone in there all right?" he asked since he'd tasked Lila and Tadashi with keeping Ried and his cameraman safe, as everyone else was fighting in the battle. Plus, he knew that if he could get them to a good enough vantage point, and they were able to get a clear shot, they would be able to take out the Liberators who were using the missile and grenade launchers. With the destruction of the ward office though, he did feel a brief pang of worry for his friend.

A cough sounded, then Lila's voice sounded. " _We're all right...mostly. Tadashi and I nearly fell to the floor below but Ried caught us,_ " she said.

"Good. What happened?" Leouch asked, catching sight of the Lupus he was fighting attempting to use his distraction to slice through the lance-wielding arm but he quickly jerked backwards to avoid it.

" _A knightmare crashed into the first floor and was then hit with two missiles that took out the support,_ " Lila explained _._

Lelouch nodded, inwardly relieved that his friends were all right. "Can you find a good view of the northern flank? I may need you and Private Akiyama to use your sniping skills on the ones with the missile and grenade launchers," he said as he, again, dodged out of the way of the Lupus's claws.

" _The stairs weren't damaged. We could get to the roof and snipe from up there, Your Highness,_ " Lila said.

"Do that. Focus on the northern flank for now. I will be sending some squads to help," Lelouch said, swiftly firing his Slash Harkens at his enemy's side but it jumped out of the way.

" _Yes, Your Highness._ "

Disconnecting the transmission, Lelouch connected to the regiment-wide channel.

"This is Prince Lelouch. Keep the Liberators pinned and close in ranks on either side of them. Do not give them room to maneuver. Squad 7 and 8, you are needed on the northern flank. Be wary of missiles and grenades," he ordered as he dodged to the side and then speared the Lupus he was fighting through the side with his jousting lance. Jumping back, he fired both of his Slash Harkens. The Lupus slashed at the first one, forcing Lelouch to retract it immediately, but the second one hit its target, taking out the second assault rifle.

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " he heard through the channel and watched as the parallel lines of the Black Knights, the first half from the guerrilla attacks the day before and the second half, who were hidden for the primary purpose of making the Liberators believe Lelouch was only fighting with half his strength, closed in.

"Now attack. Use their lack of maneuverability to your advantage," Lelouch ordered as he jumped back to avoid another barrage of bullets and shot forward, slamming his jousting lance into the Lupus's factsphere and also pushing it back a few feet, leading to the pilot ejecting.

As he moved back, he quickly scanned the area. He heard a series of booms to the east and turned his knightmare to find that a few buildings were collapsing or up in flames, most likely struck by missiles. _The squads with those missiles and grenades are going to pose a problem,_ he thought, though he knew that squads seven and eight were already ordered to take care of those squads.

They were obviously having some trouble with that though but he'd check on them as soon as he unleashed his 'secret weapon' as Lloyd had taken to calling it.

He keyed on the channel connecting him to the A.S.E.E.C.'s base. "Warrant Officer, are you ready to launch?" he asked.

" _Yes, Your Highness, I'm ready,_ " Suzaku said.

"Good. You are free to launch," Lelouch ordered and his lips quirked a little when he heard a loud _whoop_ of happiness sound in the background followed by a groan of exasperation.

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Suzaku said firmly and Lelouch disconnected the transmission as he looked at his display for another enemy.

 **. . .**

 _East of the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo_

Adeline gritted her teeth as she dodged out of the way of a Slash Harken that was fired at her before she triggered her assault rifles, firing at the enemy. The enemy was forced to retreat a bit but it then darted forward and attempted to spear her through but she dodged out of the way nimbly.

She smiled to herself. "I do love these. They aren't as good as the _Starfire_ but they are fun. It will be nice when I can pilot the _Starfire_ in battle. I hope Alexei gets it ready to fight soon," she murmured to herself and, again, dodged out of the way of the Sutherland's jousting lance.

It wasn't that she enjoyed fighting. She just enjoyed piloting and the Lupus acted like a wolf when it fought under her control and it was proving to be deadly to the opponent. Of course, she wasn't actively trying to kill the enemy; she was just trying to force them to eject. She wasn't bloodthirsty and she definitely didn't enjoy killing people; she wasn't Nightfall.

Some enemies, unfortunately, hadn't been able to eject in time before the damage caused their knightmare to explode. And, while she did feel guilty about that, she pushed it aside because she knew that, in war, people died. Just because she'd never fought in an actual battle before didn't mean that she didn't know what happened in a battle. She wasn't that ignorant.

A Sutherland shot toward her, firing both of their Slash Harkens at her shoulders but she quickly retracted her assault rifles as she darted to the side, slashing at one of the Slash Harkens with her Claw. The Slash Harken was retracted before she could connect but she retaliate by revealing her assault rifles again and firing at the Sutherland. The Sutherland, for being as bulky as it was, was nimble and managed to avoid it.

Her earpiece chimed, indicating that she was being contacted and, with one hand, she turned it on. "Kinda busy now, what?" she asked as she dodged out of the way to avoid a barrage of bullets from the Sutherland she was fighting.

" _Just checking up on you, Adeline,_ " Petal's voice said. " _How are you doing?_ "

"I'm doing fine, Petal," Adeline said as she fired back a barrage of bullets and then darted forward as the Sutherland moved out of the way. She slashed toward the Sutherland with one of her Claws, succeeding in slashing a gash into the Sutherland's leg and she then sank her other Claw into the gash and ripped it out. She jumped backwards as the Sutherland toppled over, crashing into the ground as the cockpit shot away from it like a bullet.

" _Good. You seem to be handling your own but be careful. We do have those new enemies that appeared out of the blue to deal with,_ " Petal said.

"Do we have any idea where those even came from?"

" _Reyes thinks that they either had their IFF Transponders disabled or their knightmares were off so we didn't pick up their transponder's signals, which was a rather ingenious way of ensuring that we wouldn't know that we weren't facing the prince's full force,_ " Petal said. " _He really is a good strategist. I can see why Unity wants him alive._ "

Adeline frowned. "But Nightfall said that he's going to go kill the prince," she said.

" _Michal told all of us that he wants us to try to get to the prince before Nightfall does,_ " Petal said. " _That is why I want you to start heading for the south flank. Reyes said that was where he last saw the prince._ "

"How could he even tell which one was the prince's? These knightmares all look the same," Adeline said bewildered.

" _The prince's stands out,_ " Petal said. " _Just look at where he's positioned. He has a good view of the entire battle field due to his location at the heart of the conflict and, thus, he can give orders more easily since he's aware of what is happening._ "

"Oh. Yeah, that does make sense. All right,"—Adeline broke off as she jerked her Lupus out of the way to avoid the Slash Harken that suddenly flew at her—"I'll head out as soon as I take care of this guy."

" _Good luck._ "

"Thanks."

 **. . .**

 _South of the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo_

Nightfall had been pushed to the south of the Ward Office but he didn't care. As he took out another knightmare, grinning at the explosion, he looked around for another enemy to take out when his eyes landed on a knightmare that was positioned almost at the heart of the entire conflict. It was currently fighting another Lupus but he could see that it was already battered, covered in scorch marks from flames as well as scars from bullets and gashes from Diamond-tipped Claws. He licked his lips, his eyes alit with satisfaction when he realized that he was absolutely positive of who the pilot of that knightmare was.

After all, any commander would be at the heart of the conflict simply because it would give him a better view of the entire conflict.

At least, that was what he thought.

 _Hmm, I'll wait until he beats that enemy. Hopefully that Lupus won't beat 'im 'cause I want my shot,_ he thought with a cool smirk before he launched himself at another Sutherland that was fighting nearby. He kept one eye on the commander's knightmare even as he tackled the Sutherland down and tore through it, slashing off parts of the knightmare and riddling it face and factsphere with bullets from his assault rifles. Stabbing his Claw into the chest of the Sutherland as deep as it could go, he cut through the casing around the Yggdrasil Drive and then dove his second Claw into the gash before jumping back as the Sutherland exploded.

 **. . .**

 _Roof, Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office_

Lila and Tadashi made their way onto the roof of the ward office and took up a position by the wall and looked out over the northern flank. It was still holding its own against the Lupus it was fighting against but Lila could see some on the ground in pieces and burnt from the missiles or grenades that hit them. She bit her lip but pushed the thought aside as she focused on the situation at hand.

She set up her sniper rifle and, peering through the scope, began to look for those that were carrying or using the missile and grenade launchers. "Looks like there are about six of them," she said, turning to Tadashi who had set up his sniper rifle a few meters away.

"Yeah, I see 'em," Tadashi said, peering through his own scope. "Can't see 'em that well right now but I think I can hit two of 'em but the third one's kinda hidden by two fighting knightmares and you'd have a better chance at hitting the other three."

Lila nodded. "Okay. I'll see what I can do," she said and peered through her scope again, turning her sniper rifle so that she could focus on the four that Tadashi couldn't reach. "I've got the fourth one in sight too."

"Great."

Lila took a deep breath and slowly released it as she relaxed and focused, concentrating on one of her targets. She focused the scope on them and took another deep breath before slowly releasing it as she pulled the trigger. Due to the silencer attached to the rifle, no noise was made as the bullet sailed across the air and slammed into the head of target, causing him to topple off the truck and drop his missile launcher.

She quickly turned her rifle to the second target and repeated the process, pulling the trigger as she released her breath, taking out the second one. The third one fell quickly after that while the fourth one was a bit trickier due to the two knightmares battling in front of it.

The fourth one suddenly fired a missile straight at the Sutherland, crashing into its chest as the Lupus leapt out of the way. The resulting explosion sent flaming debris flying in all directions, crashing into windows and walls of buildings. However, the fall of that Sutherland gave Lila the perfect opportunity and she took it, firing a single bullet that shot across the air and hit the fourth soldier between the eyes.

She turned her scope to look for the other two, only to find that they were already taken out. She turned to Tadashi, about to offer her congrats, but found that he was rather pale as he placed the rifle down, his hands shaking.

"Tadashi? Is everything all right?" she asked concerned as she put the rifle down. A goofball and a flirt though he was, he still had become Lila's friend and it was obvious something had happened that troubled him.

"One of those...he was just a kid," Tadashi whispered, turning to Lila and she saw tears in his eyes. "He...He looked around our age. I...I almost didn't take the shot when I noticed that." He closed his eyes, clearly trying to calm himself down as he sank to the ground beside his rifle.

She moved to his side and placed a hand on his arm. "You did what you had to do, Tadashi," she said gently.

"I definitely didn't like it though. He was just a kid! Why did I have to do that?"

"Soldiers have to obey orders," Lila said.

"Even if those orders go against their conscious?"

Lila bit her lip because Tadashi did have a point. How many soldiers out there were forced to kill someone, even if it went against their conscious? But then, she realized, that one couldn't really be a soldier if one couldn't pull the trigger and kill someone who was trying to kill them.

"He would have killed you had you not killed him," she pointed out.

"I...I know but..." Tadashi sighed and shook his head. "No, you're right. That doesn't mean that I have to like it but...I'm a soldier and I know that's what soldiers do." He opened his eyes and turned to pick up his sniper rifle but not before Lila saw the distress in his eyes.

For a long moment, they were both silent, then: "Lila, can I ask you something?" Tadashi asked finally.

"What is it?"

"Do you feel guilty after killing someone?"

Lila thought about it and realized that, in a way, she kind of did. When she'd killed that assassin that had tried to kill Lelouch, she had to fight down her revulsion when she pulled the trigger. It had all happened so fast though, so she hadn't really thought about it, but, afterwards, she did feel a bit guilty. She understood that it was necessary, just as killing these people was necessary, but that didn't stop her from feeling guilty.

"Yeah, I do," she admitted. "Even though I know it's necessary, I still feel guilty." She rested her back against the wall and sighed, drawing her sniper rifle onto her lap. "Maybe this is one reason why Mother wasn't happy with me being in the military, even if she said it was because she didn't want me to get killed."

She was starting to wonder if she'd made the right choice in going behind her parents' backs to join the military, no matter how interested she was in how the military works.

"I only joined because of my mom," Tadashi said. "Because I wanted to avenge her. She was killed by terrorists and I just...I suppose it doesn't help that we're in Sapporo. I've been trying hard not to think about that fact, that we're actually not that far away from where my mother was killed but..." He trailed off and his eyes filled with tears but he hastily wiped them away before they could fall.

Lila bit her lip. She honestly didn't know how to comfort someone, not that well anyway. Due to how coddled she'd been, she never really had any friends growing up nor did she ever really spend time with anyone other than her parents or her bodyguards. She decided to just go with her instinct and gently put an arm around Tadashi's shoulders.

The burnt-orange-haired young man looked at her in surprise.

She blushed in embarrassment. "Ah, I just...well, you looked like...erm...well, it seemed like a good idea at the time!" She blurted out defensively, her lips curving into a pout, which surprised her. She has never acted like this before.

Then she felt Tadashi's shoulders shaking. For a moment, she thought he was crying but it took only a moment for her to realize that he was laughing, laughing so hard that tears were coming out of his eyes.

"What's so funny?" she protested.

Tadashi's laughter died down into snickers and he gave her a bright smile, the distress in his dark-gray eyes had dimmed and mingled with faint amusement. "You're pouting," he said in between his snickers. "I've never seen you pout before. It's so adorable."

Lila's cheeks went even redder. "S...Shut up!" She exclaimed, removing her arm from around his shoulders and smacking one.

Tadashi snickered for a bit longer before he sobered and gave her a smile. "Thanks, Lila," he said. "I needed that. And...thanks for listening to me too."

Lila blinked as the blush died, finding herself unable to take her eyes away from Tadashi's before she flushed again and quickly looked away. "Yeah, no problem. Now can we get back to work before someone notices we're slacking off?" she demanded while attempting to quench the blush that dotted her cheeks.

Tadashi chuckled. "What work? We did our work already," he said.

Lila huffed, rolling her eyes. "You know that was not what I meant," she said.

 **. . .**

 _South of the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo_

Suzaku had originally been in the Toyohira Ghetto, to the east, but, after having to get around a series of dog fights as well as craters in the streets and buildings that looked like they were about to collapse—too weak to handle the weight of a knightmare using them to swing around the dogfights. Suzaku wondered just what happened to them—he ended up south of the battle. At the very least, he had a clear shot to the line of Sutherlands and Lupus knightmare frames.

He glided rapidly down the street, heading toward the lines of battles. The Liberators were pinned between two lines of knightmares but were fighting hard to break through the line. Unfortunately, as was evident by what was happening to the east, the line had already been broken through. Once he neared the line, he fired his Slash Harkens into a stable-looking building and, using that, swung over the line of Sutherlands to crash into a Lupus that hadn't gotten out of the way in time.

Jumping off it, he fired his Slash Harkens at it, sinking them into the shoulders and destroying the assault rifles. The canine-like knightmare turned but, before it could attack Suzaku as he landed behind it, it was assaulted by a barrage of bullets from two Sutherlands near it. Another Sutherland shot forward and stabbed it with its jousting lancing but Suzaku didn't stay to see what happened next.

He launched himself at the next enemy, landing a spinkick into the Lupus's face and then taken out its assault rifles with his Slash Harkens. The canine-like knightmare slashed out at him with its Claws, the ones that Lelouch had said could cut through metal, and Suzaku jumped back. He reached for his sides and removed the Maser Vibration Swords, holding one in each hand as they activated, shimmering red.

 _Well, let's see if they work,_ Suzaku thought and launched himself at the Lupus. Dodging swiftly to the side to avoid another slash, he brought the first Maser Vibration Sword up and caught the metal-cutting claw on it. They were at a stalemate; the Maser Vibration Sword vibrated rapidly against the metal-cutting claw as the claw attempted to cut through the sword. However, the MVS broke the stalemate, slicing through the metal-cutting claw.

 _So they can work against those metal-cutting claws that Lelouch warned us about? Good to know,_ Suzaku thought. Jumping back, he shot forward again and slashed downward with his MVSs before the canine-like knightmare could attack with its remaining metal-cutting claw again and severed the canine-like knightmare's front paws at the shoulders, causing it to topple forward. The cockpit ejected before the knightmare completed its fall.

Connecting to the A.S.E.E.C.'s base, Suzaku said, "The MVSs work well. They were even able to cut through the metal-cutting claws that these knightmares use," as he launched himself at another enemy.

" _Awesome!_ " Lloyd cheered.

Suzaku smiled a little at the scientist's enthusiasm but quickly focused on the battle. It was complete chaos around him; pieces of knightmares littered the ground, Lupus knightmare frames were locked in vicious fights with Sutherlands, the Ward Office had taken a pretty bad hit, causing an entire wing to be destroyed, and Suzaku could see that quite a few other buildings had suffered a similar fate. He found himself hoping that there weren't any civilians left in the city; the sweep that was done following the first 'battle' had revealed that the city was devoid of civilians and Suzaku hoped that there weren't some who stayed behind.

Fighting against terrorists or enemy knightmare frames was one thing but innocent civilians getting caught in the crossfire? That was something that Suzaku didn't want to happen, even though he knew that, sometimes, it wouldn't be intentional. At least, when he and his comrades ever ended up in a situation where such a thing was possible, he _hoped_ it wouldn't be intentional.

Yanking himself out of his thoughts when a barrage of bullets nearly slammed into his side, Suzaku dodged out of the way. With a swift slash of both of his MVSs, he severed the assault rifles off the shoulders of the Lupus he'd launched himself at. He then sank both his MVSs into the shoulders of the knightmare and, yanking them out, launched himself at another enemy as the one he'd been fighting ejected.

Just then, his headset buzzed and Lelouch's voice sounded over the channel. " _Warrant Officer, I need you to head for the east flank and..._ " he broke off and Suzaku's eyes widened when he heard a _crash_ on the other line followed by a series of curse words.

"Your Highness, are you all right?" Suzaku asked.

" _I'm fine, just got ambushed by an enemy. Head for the east flank. They're getting outnumbered and need some backup. Damn it, he's quick,_ " Lelouch's voice exclaimed and Suzaku winced when he heard another crash. He didn't know what was happening but it was obvious that his friend was in trouble.

"Your Highness, you sound like you need help," Suzaku said.

" _I'm fine, Warrant Officer, I can handle this. You have your orders,_ " Lelouch said.

"Yes, Your Highness," Suzaku said but kept the channel open so that he could listen to Lelouch's fight with the enemy that ambushed him. Even if Lelouch really could handle the threat that he was facing, Suzaku was supposed to be Lelouch's Knight of Honor, even if it was unofficial right now; he was supposed to protect and defend his prince. Even if he wasn't an official knight yet, Suzaku would be remiss of his duties if he didn't, at least, make sure his prince was safe.

For now, though, he would follow his orders. It wasn't as if Lelouch couldn't take care of himself. He wasn't the weak, no-stamina boy that Suzaku had met almost seven years ago; even if he still had less stamina than Suzaku, he was still capable and strong enough to handle his own in a fight.

Glancing at his tactical display, Suzaku could see that Lelouch was right. The number of the enemy was greatly outnumbering the number of the soldiers on the east flank. The east flank appeared to have the most breaches in the defensive line that had been formed earlier and the fighting had spread out toward the Clock Tower.

Speeding rapidly around the fighting men and breaking out of the line, Suzaku shot toward the Clock Tower.

 **. . .**

 _Abandoned Hotel, West of the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office_

Lelouch gritted his teeth as he was thrown into the staircase of the abandoned building that he had just been tackled into. The Lupus that had attacked him while he was speaking to Suzaku had caught him completely off guard, slamming into him before he had a chance to react. The result was him creating a knightmare-sized hole in the wall of the first floor of an abandoned hotel and then getting tackled into the staircase next.

The Lupus that had attacked him had him pinned against the railing but, when he attempted to fire his assault rifles at Lelouch, Lelouch retaliated by firing the Slash Harkens mounted on his knightmare's chest straight at the Lupus. The Lupus was quick to leap off him and, nimbly, landed on all fours on the ground in front of him.

Getting his knightmare to his feet, Lelouch retracted his Slash Harkens and fired them again, aiming at the rifles on the Lupus's shoulders but the canine-like knightmare quickly dodged out of the way while unleashing a barrage of bullets. Quickly gliding to the side to avoid them, Lelouch withdrew his own assault rifle and returned fire, forcing the Lupus to dance around to avoid getting hit by the bullets before it leapt him again.

He gritted his teeth as he quickly dodged out of the way to avoid the Lupus and twisted his knightmare out of range when the Lupus slashed at him. Exchanging his assault rifle for his jousting lance, he launched himself at the Lupus, firing his Slash Harkens at the same time. Both of them missed when the Lupus nimbly danced around them before it was thrown off its feet by the jousting lance Lelouch jabbed into its side.

" _You're an okay opponent, princey,_ " the Lupus's pilot said over the loudspeaker as he fired a barrage of bullets at Lelouch before he could finish the job, forcing the prince to back off. He wasn't as surprised as he thought he'd be that this guy knew who he was.

" _But I ain't gonna stop yet, princey,_ " the pilot added as the Lupus jumped to its feet and shot forward rapidly, slamming into Lelouch. He gritted his teeth as both of them went skidding across the floor and crashing into and through another wall. They ended up in the ballroom with sunlight streaming through a large window and reflecting off the chandelier that hung over head. Lelouch found himself pinned beneath the Lupus and warning signs erupted on his command panels as the Lupus sank its Claws into the Sutherland's side, ripping downward.

As a result, the auto eject activated and Lelouch's cockpit was sent flying out of the severely damaged knightmare to crash into the ground and skid across the floor to crash into the wall at the other end.

 **. . .**

 _East of the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo_

Adeline slashed through the Sutherland in front of her and watched as the cockpit ejected before straightening in her seat as she glanced at her tactical display. "Okay, there doesn't seem to be any more enemies heading in this direction. They all seem congregated to the north or south," she said. " _Good work, Adeline. Reyes says that, unfortunately, Nightfall seems to have caught up with the prince before we could get to him so go and make sure that Nightfall doesn't kill the prince,_ " Petal ordered.

"I doubt I'll be able to do anything but I'll...wait, incoming enemy," Adeline said when she noticed a red blip was heading rapidly toward them. She bit her lip because the blip was moving a lot faster than the others. "It's moving a lot faster than the Sutherlands."

" _Keep on your guard,_ " Petal said.

"I know," Adeline said and turned her Lupus in the direction that the enemy was coming in. She was honestly surprised by the appearance of the white knightmare frame. It was sleeker and not as bulky as the Sutherland with gold accents and it moved faster and more nimbly than the Sutherland did.

She gripped her controls and launched herself at the new enemy, activating and firing her assault rifles at it, only to release a gasp of surprise a moment later when a bright green shield blazed to life around the knightmare's arm, blocking and redirecting the bullets she'd just fired at it. "That thing can block bullets!" She exclaimed.

" _What?!_ " Petal exclaimed in surprise.

Gripping her controls as she jumped back to avoid the Slash Harkens the white knightmare frame fired at her, Adeline smiled. "Well, let's see how you handle these," she said and shot forward, slashing her claws toward the knightmare's arm, where that shield was located. If she could destroy that then she could use her assault rifles on the knightmare itself.

But the white knightmare was fast and dodged out of the way just in time, gliding nimbly to the side before reaching for its sides and withdrawing what looked like swords, the blade of which began to shimmer red. It darted toward her, one of those blades aimed for one of her assault rifles but she jumped back and used the Claws on one of her paws to catch the blow. She was startled when the Diamond-tipped Claws didn't break through the blade; they were at a stalemate at the moment but she could see that she was starting to lose the stalemate.

Her eyes went wide when the red blade sliced through the Claws, causing them to shatter, raining fragments of diamond to the ground. "T...Those swords...what are you?" she whispered.

" _What's wrong, Adeline?_ " Petal asked as Adeline, jerking herself back into the battle, quickly jumped to the side to avoid another slash from those blades that could, apparently, cut through diamond.

"The weapons this new knightmare uses, these swords...they were able to cut through my Claws," Adeline said.

" _What?!_ "

"Not right away," Adeline added as she unleashed a barrage of bullets that the white knightmare caught with its glowing green shield. "It was a stalemate for a while but this knightmare's sword was able to cut through them and he has two of them."

Petal swore. " _That's not good. Adeline, retreat, if that knightmare frame can cut through diamond and block bullets, you're at a disadvantage,_ " she said.

"I can still fight!" Adeline protested.

" _That white knightmare is obviously more advanced than the Lupus. Retreat, Adeline, that's an order,_ " Petal said firmly.

Adeline was about to respond only to focus on dodging out of the way of those red swords again. She wasn't quite quick enough though as the first blade sliced through the shoulder of her paw that held her remaining Diamond-tipped Claws. She wobbled but, before she could react, the second blade was severing her other paw at the shoulder, causing her Lupus to topple forward.

"Shit! You win this round, whoever you are," Adeline growled in frustration as she yanked the ejection lever and allowed the cockpit to eject away from the fallen Lupus.

 **. . .**

 _Sapporo Clock Tower, Sapporo_

"Gah!" Rayne cried out as she was tackled into a building just across the street from the Clock Tower. The pilot she was facing was really good and was able to counter a lot of Rayne's moves; she wasn't an Ace pilot like Suzaku or Kay but she was able to hold her own. Against this pilot, however, she had been forced to retreat multiple times just to avoid getting killed, which was how she ended up on the east end of the battle. She was beginning to wonder if this pilot was an Ace; she certainly wouldn't be surprised if he was.

Climbing out of the building she'd been tackled into, Rayne barely managed to avoid the slash from one of the pilot's metal-cutting claws. Firing her Slash Harkens at the Lupus and forcing it to focus on those, Rayne used the distraction to get her knightmare to its feet. She retracted the Slash Harkens and, pulling out her assault rifle, unleashed a barrage of bullets at her enemy.

The enemy dodged out of the way swiftly— _damn, those Lupus knightmare frames sure are fast,_ she thought—and leapt toward her.

The blue-haired girl jerked her controls so that she was gliding out of the way, her landspinners spinning against the ground as she shot clear of the Lupus's claws. She found herself near the group of knightmares on the east flank near the Clock Tower who were locked in dog fights against some canine-like units.

 _He, irony,_ Rayne thought as she forced herself to dodge another attack from the Lupus. _Well, at least it's not raining anymore._ That lifted her mood a little bit.

Though her mood did sour again when an unwelcome voice sounded over her channel. " _Rayne, what are you doing here?_ " Gretchen asked and Rayne spotted a knightmare she figured belonged to her bitch of a sister came to her side, firing at the Lupus.

"How the hell can you tell who I am, bitch? All these knightmares look alike," Rayne scoffed back.

" _The way that you move. It was clear that it was you, Rayne, and please stop calling me that,_ " Gretchen said.

"Whatever, bitch," Rayne said coolly as she pulled out her jousting lance and launched herself at the Lupus. She didn't even bother on answering her bitch of a sister's question.

" _We should work together to take it out. It seems easier to take it out with two knightmares instead of one,_ " Gretchen said and Rayne scowled when she noticed that her bitch of a sister was gliding right by her.

"I don't need your damn help, bitch," she shouted as she lashed out wildly with her jousting lance, successfully taking out an assault rifle but not doing much damage beyond that. Realizing her temper was getting the better of her, and affecting her performance, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to calm down. It was hard because just hearing her bitch of a sister's voice caused her temper to flare.

" _Rayne, please, let me help you,_ " Gretchen said.

"Why should I?! You never bothered on helping me before when I was growing up!"

" _I know I've already told you this but I made a mistake and I'm sorry but I don't want you to get hurt. I never wanted you to get hurt,_ " Gretchen said, unleashing another barrage of bullets at the Lupus when it moved to attack Rayne again.

She ground her teeth in fury at her bitch of a sister's words. "Don't pretend like you care!" She shouted. "I know that you don't so don't pretend like you do! You've never cared about me or Kay. You've never…"

" _I know I never really showed it but I did care about you,_ " Gretchen interrupted softly, firing her Slash Harkens at the Lupus, forcing it to jump back to avoid them. " _I made a mistake. I was young and stupid and...you know that I was the heir to our family's name. That put a lot of pressure on me, Mom and Dad put a lot of pressure on me to be the best because of that. While I tried to show that I cared about you, my duties often forced me to focus more on them than on caring for you and Kay._ "

"You're lying! Why should I believe you?! If you truly cared, why didn't you tell Kay and I that before?" Rayne shouted.

" _Because you never gave me the chance!_ " Gretchen cried back and Rayne started when she heard sorrow in her bitch of a sister's voice, sorrow and guilt mingling together. " _You two ran away and then when I finally met up with you two again, you wouldn't even give me the time of day! I tried talking to you. That was why I suggested that we all sit down and talk but you wouldn't listen!_ "

Rayne gritted her teeth, feeling tears prick in her eyes but she hastily wiped them away. "If...If that's the case then...then you just proved that you care more about your duties than you do us, your own family! I hate you! I hate you! _I hate you!_ " she screamed, slamming her fists onto the display as tears blurred her vision. _Why the hell am I crying?_

She wiped her eyes rapidly but, before she could say anything else, the Lupus crashed into her, taking her by surprise and sending both of them skidding across the ground and crashing through the wall into the first floor of the Clock Tower. The Lupus then got to its paws and sank its claws into the sides of Rayne's knightmare, slashing downward and causing red lights to blare, indicating that the damage was severe. The auto-ejection activated and Rayne felt the cockpit seat jettison out of the Sutherland.

It didn't go very far, as there was very limited space on the first floor of the Clock Tower, and crashed hard into the wall behind the Sutherland. The force of the impact sent Rayne jerking forward hard, though the restraints prevented her from getting a concussion. Gritting her teeth, Rayne felt around for the clasp to her restraints and yanked at them. Once they were undone, she crawled to the hatch and fought to push it open, succeeding just barely, scowling to herself.

 _Once again, I got distracted and it nearly cost me. And Gretchen didn't help at all! And yet...why did I start crying at her words?_ She thought.

She climbed out of the ejected cockpit and looked around, noticing that the Lupus that she had been fighting was locked in battle with another Sutherland. Scrambling down from the cockpit and wincing when she put pressure on her leg, Rayne gazed around, searching for a way out of the Clock Tower; as she looked around, she noticed that the floor above was cracked and looked about ready to fall.

 _Yeah, I really gotta get out of here,_ she thought but she noticed that the only way out was past the two fighting knightmares.

She limped forward, her leg hurt and she wasn't sure what she did to it, as she continued to find a way out of the building. Suddenly the Lupus tackled the Sutherland, sending both of them skidding across the floor where they slammed into a pillar; the pillar buckled and collapsed, showering them in debris but the ceiling above groaned as if it was about to collapse itself.

Rayne's eyes went wide as pieces of the ceiling started to fall to the ground, each gradually growing larger and larger and she rapidly looked around for someplace that she could hide under to protect herself from the fallen debris. She limped forward but she didn't see anything; more debris fell, a big piece nearly flattened her had she not dived out of the way in time.

Her leg flared up in pain and then gave out, causing Rayne to cry out in pain as she collapsed. She struggled to get to her feet but her leg wouldn't agree with her and more and more pieces of the ceiling were falling down. She squeezed her eyes closed, feeling tears prick in her eyes as she thought about her twin and all of her friends.

She heard more debris crashing into the ground and, suddenly, she felt the cool feel of metal. Her eyes snapping open, Rayne stared at the Sutherland that was crouched over her, shielding her from the debris. The ceiling collapsed inward, shedding large pieces of stone on the Sutherland but Rayne was left untouched.

She blinked up at the Sutherland as it straightened up, causing the debris that had landed on it to slide off its back.

" _Rayne, are you okay?_ " Gretchen's voice sounded over the loudspeaker of the Sutherland.

Rayne's eyes went wide. _She saved my life?_ She thought.

" _Rayne?_ "

"W...Why?" Rayne stammered out, staring. "Why did you save me?"

" _Because you're my sister, Rayne,_ " Gretchen said softly. " _You were right, Rayne. You were right. My biggest mistake wasn't not taking care of you and Kay. My biggest mistake was putting my duties as the heir to the Frost Family ahead of my own family. I am truly sorry. I know you will likely never forgive me but I am._ "

"Gretchen..." Rayne murmured. She wanted to still be angry with Gretchen; she could still feel the resentment simmering away within her but she found that she couldn't stay angry. The resentment didn't seem like it was going to fade right now but the anger...she just couldn't feel angry anymore.

Kay's words about how he was willing to give their siblings another chance echoed in her head.

Suddenly, the Lupus from before launched itself at Gretchen's unprotected back and Rayne's eyes went wider as the Lupus's claws lodged themselves in the back of Gretchen's Sutherland and jumped back before firing at the gash it had made in the Sutherland's back.

" _Damn it! It struck the Yggdrasil Drive. Rayne, get out of here now!_ " Gretchen shouted.

"What about you?" Rayne protested.

" _Just go! The Yggdrasil Drive's overheating. It's gonna blow._ "

"Eject, Gretchen, eject!" Rayne shouted, scrambling to her feet despite the pain that flared up in her leg as a result.

" _I can't! The debris from that collapsed ceiling damaged the ejection mechanism. You need to get out of here, Rayne, now, or you'll get caught in the explosion too!_ " Gretchen shouted.

"I...I can't leave you," Rayne protested.

"... _I thought you hated me..._ "

Rayne felt tears prick in the corner of her eyes. "I...I thought I did too but...you're my sister! And...And...Kay was right! He...He decided to give you, Parker, and Matthias a second chance and I...I was too stubborn to realize that...that everyone deserves a second chance," she shouted. She didn't know if it was Kay's words or the fact that she was about to watch her sister, the sister she resented who was still her family, die but she knew that what she said was true.

" _I love you, Rayne,_ " Gretchen said and then glided backwards so that she crashed into the Lupus who had damaged her knightmare so severely. Both of them went skidding across the floor to crash into the wall at the other end and then exploded.

" _No!_ " Rayne screamed. The shockwave from the explosion slammed into her and sent her flying backwards and through a window. She crashed into the ground and rolled a few meters before coming to a stop near a streetlight.

Before her, the Clock Tower began to crumble downward as that explosion had taken out the last of the support pillars and beams that kept it standing. It toppled onto its side, crushing anything that was beneath it—knightmares and buildings alike—causing a massive cloud of dust and debris to spray in all directions and the ground to tremble from the impact.

Rayne covered her head to try to protect herself from the flying debris but she didn't have to as a certain white knightmare frame was suddenly crouched in front of her, shielding her from the debris that was sent flying her way. She blinked up at the frame. "S...Suzaku?" she stammered out.

" _Rayne, are you okay?_ " Suzaku's voice sounded over the loudspeaker.

"I...I..." Rayne found that she couldn't say anything and she felt tears slide down her face. She buried her face into her arms and said nothing more, just sobbed. She sobbed as she thought about how much of a fool she'd been, a stubborn fool; she sobbed for the path that she didn't take, the one that Kay had taken, the one in which second chances were given; most importantly, she sobbed for the loss of the sister that she had always resented who had just given her life to save hers.

 **. . .**

Suzaku bit his lip, not entirely sure what he was supposed to do. Rayne was crying and yet he didn't know whether to try and comfort her or not. He didn't even know why she was crying but he figured that something must have happened. He'd arrived to the area just in time to see the collapse of the Clock Tower that took out the squadron members and the terrorists that were unfortunate enough to be beneath it and hadn't been able to get out of the way in time.

He'd then seen Rayne and had been quick to move to protect her from the flying debris that came from the collapsed Clock Tower. Now he wasn't sure what to do; he couldn't see any enemies nearby, and his tactical display only showed a series of 'LOST' signals from the enemy, which made him think that they'd all been caught beneath the Clock Tower when it collapsed.

Deciding that he might as well see if Rayne was all right, since she hadn't answered him, he shut down the _Lancelot_ and ejected the cockpit so that he could climb out. Jumping to the ground, rather than using the access cable, Suzaku moved to join Rayne, kneeling in front of her. "Rayne?" he said softly.

Rayne gazed up at him, tears streaming out of her dark-blue eyes. "S...Suzaku?" she said again even as she continued to sob.

Awkwardly, Suzaku put his arms around her in a comforting hug. She responded by burying her face into his chest and crying, clinging onto him. It was a surprise to see someone normally so strong suddenly break down into tears. But he just patted her back and let her cry; it was obvious she needed to cry and, since she didn't have someone like her brother around to comfort her, Suzaku would just have to do.

Slowly, Rayne managed to calm herself down; her cries died down into sobs that gradually faded away and she pulled back, wiping her tears and flushing in embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she began.

"Don't worry about it, Rayne. You're my friend and, even if I don't know why, you needed a shoulder to cry on. That's what friends are for," Suzaku assured her.

She gave him a small watery smile. "Thank you," she said softly. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was supposed to help the east flank but..." Suzaku glanced over at the damage done by the fallen Clock Tower. "I think I'm too late."

Rayne let out a small laugh, but Suzaku could still see the sadness in her eyes.

"I should probably let Lelouch know," Suzaku said, releasing Rayne and turning the headset back on for his end, since he could still hear what was going on on Lelouch's end. "Your Highness?" he said.

" _Kinda in the middle of something here, Warrant Officer, what is it?_ " Lelouch's out of breath voice asked and another _crash_ echoed in the background.

"I thought to report that the east flank has fallen but they took the enemy out with them. It doesn't look like there are any survivors from either side," Suzaku said.

" _We'll...send a squad to...search for survivors later. For now, I want you to rejoin with the main body and help..._ " Lelouch began. A thundering crash sounded in the background followed by Lelouch's scream of pain that caused Suzaku to jump in surprise and Rayne's eyes to widen since it had been loud enough for her to hear.

"Your Highness!" Suzaku exclaimed in worry. "Your Highness, are you there?"

" _Y...Yes, I'm here,_ " Lelouch said and Suzaku could hear the agony in his voice.

Suzaku ground his teeth together and turned to Rayne. "Get to safety, Rayne. I have to go," he said.

"Go. You're his Knight of Honor and he clearly needs you now," Rayne said, slowly pushing herself to her feet, though her eyes flared and she seemed to be favoring one of her legs. "I'll be fine."

Suzaku nodded, hoping that Rayne wasn't just putting on a brave face because she did look in pain. However, he did have to worry about Lelouch, since it was clear that Lelouch needed help. He darted off to the access cable for the _Lancelot._ "I'm on my way," he said into the headset as he climbed into the cockpit of the _Lancelot_ and started it back up.

" _The main body...needs your help more than...I do, Warrant Officer,_ " Lelouch said as Suzaku sped away from the Clock Tower and toward where Lelouch's IFF Transponder told him that he was located.

"With all due respect, my prince, I'm your Knight of Honor, even if it's unofficial, and I'm supposed to protect you," Suzaku said firmly as he swiftly glided past the small dog fights that were making up the end of the battle.

" _Warrant Officer, I...am fine. I order...you to go aid...the main body in...finishing this battle. I want this...battle to end and...the_ Lancelot _should be...able to end it itself,_ " Lelouch said firmly, though his breath was coming out shorter and the agony in his voice was a lot stronger. Suzaku had no idea what happened but it must have been bad and he mused that Lelouch was just as stubborn as he was during the invasion. Then, he'd done the same thing, tried to get Suzaku to take Nunnally and leave him behind whenever he got hurt. And, each time, Suzaku had refused.

Even if he was disobeying the prince's order, he was, once again, refusing to not help his friend when it was obvious he needed it.

He'd made the decision to be Lelouch's Knight of Honor, he had made the decision to protect and defend his friend because his friend trusted him enough to give him that opportunity—and there was no denying that Lelouch's trust was _very_ hard to come by—and he was not about to ignore that.

Besides, Lelouch must have lost communications with the rest of the regiment, otherwise he would know that they really didn't need Suzaku's help.

"I apologize, my prince, but I cannot obey that order. As your Knight of Honor, you are my top priority," Suzaku said as he sped past the main fighting body, or what was left of it—since there weren't very many enemies left—and headed toward Lelouch's location.

 **. . .**

 _Abandoned Hotel, West of Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office_

Lelouch gritted his teeth, in both agony and irritation, though, in hindsight, he really should have seen Suzaku's response from a mile away. Suzaku knew that being a Knight of Honor was not just some honor that elevated someone, it involved its own responsibilities and he was obviously taking those responsibilities seriously, even if he was only Lelouch's unofficial knight at the moment.

Suzaku refusing to obey his orders in favor of saving him wasn't anything new; he rarely ever obeyed Lelouch's orders when they were children, and even less during the invasion, especially when Lelouch had ordered Suzaku to take Nunnally, get to safety, and leave him behind.

Nonetheless, Lelouch only knew that Suzaku's decision to disobey his order and come help him was because of his current predicament. He had spent a good ten minutes just trying to avoid getting flattened by the Lupus whenever the pilot decided to leap at him, after he'd gotten out of the ejected cockpit and _thought_ the pilot would leave him alone. To make matters worse, it had also decided to try to collapse the already fragile building on his head by firing its assault rifles at the ceiling.

That had actually succeeded, partially. The ceiling had collapsed and the scream that had prompted Suzaku's worried response had been caused by a large piece of the ceiling crashing into Lelouch's arm and pinning him to the floor. He'd felt some of his bones snap and the agony made it impossible for him to even think about just how many had broken. Debris covered almost his entire body, though he had been lucky that the debris hadn't hit his head; he was also lucky that he hadn't broken anything else from the collapsing ceiling.

He tried to push the debris off his arm but it was too heavy and any movement caused a spasm of pain to ripple up and down his pinned arm, forcing him to bite his lip to keep from screaming again. The last thing he'd heard from Suzaku was Suzaku's refusing to obey his order by stating that Lelouch was his top priority.

He also had no idea of where that Lupus was.

" _Princey, princey, where for art thou, princey?_ " That irritating and sadistic voice of the Lupus pilot who was trying to kill Lelouch said.

 _Never mind, I found it,_ Lelouch thought bitterly as he twisted his head to find the Lupus edging its way around the fallen debris.

" _Ah, there you are, princey. Got yourself into quite the predicament, eh?_ " the pilot said.

"I believe you are...remembering what happened...only a few minutes ago...wrong," Lelouch said through gritted teeth as pain flared up his arm again.

" _Oh, right, right. Well, if you hadn't kept running from me, I wouldn't have had to do that. I was getting rather bored with chasing you around to kill you so I decided on a different way. Shame you're still alive. Guess I'll just have to use another method,_ " the pilot of the Lupus said as the canine-like knightmare prowled forward.

"Why do you want to kill me?" Lelouch demanded.

" _Why? Because you're the commander of this entire operation against my organization. Why else? You're the enemy and I kill my enemies. Simple as that,_ " he replied as the Lupus prowled even closer. " _Now then, goodbye, princey._ "

The Lupus's pilot raised one of its paws and pressed one of its claws against Lelouch's throat. He bit his lip when a sharp pain erupted in his throat as the Lupus's claw started to sink into it, causing a trickle of blood to fall from the wound. _Am I really going to die here?_ He thought and his thoughts drifted to Nunnally.

 _Nunnally...What'll happen to Nunnally if I die here? I can't let anything happen to her but what can I do? I can't move, my arm's pinned and if I so much as move an inch, I could slit my own throat. Damn it! Nunnally, I'm sorry..._

Just then, the pressure on his throat vanished as a flash of white flashed above him. He turned his head as much as he could just in time to see the _Lancelot_ crash a spinkick into the Lupus sending it flying even further backwards.

" _My prince, are you all right?_ " Suzaku's voice asked over the headset. " _Wait, don't answer that. Stupid question. Of course you're not all right._ _Just hold on, my prince. I'll get you out of there in a bit, once I take care of the enemy_." He then turned his attention to the Lupus.

The Lupus got to its paws. " _Well, well, looks like the little princey has a knighty. Well then, what will you do, oh white knight in shining armor? Do you honestly think you can take me on?_ " The pilot asked through the loudspeaker.

The _Lancelot_ shifted until it was in front of Lelouch and withdrew the MVSs.

" _So you're gonna fight? Fine then. I'll kill you and then I'll kill the princey. Prepare yourself for death, knighty,_ " the pilot stated and launched himself at Suzaku.

 **. . .**

Suzaku quickly darted to the side to avoid the claws that slashed toward him and fired his Slash Harkens at the Lupus's shoulders but it was fast, moving nimbly out of the way. He then unleashed a barrage of bullets at Suzaku who jerked the _Lancelot'_ 's arm in front of him, activating the Blaze Luminous. The bullets slammed into the shimmering green shield and were redirected downward.

" _What?! That fucking thing can block bullets? Why the fucking hell didn't Kozar think of that?!_ " the pilot exclaimed, not seeming to notice, or care, that his loudspeaker was still on. " _Tch, whatever. It's not gonna matter. The fucker's gonna die either way._ "

Suzaku pressed his lips together as he deactivated the Blaze Luminous and tightened his grip on the MVSs, his eyes training on those metal-cutting claws as the Lupus leapt at him, sunlight glinting off the claws as the pilot slashed them toward him.

Recognizing the move as similar to the move that the pilot he'd fought while on his way to the east flank had used, Suzaku responded the same exact way, catching the claws of one of its' paws on one of his MVSs. The blade vibrated violently against the claws as the stalemate stretched onward before the claws shattered.

" _What the fucking hell is that thing?!_ " The pilot screeched, more in fury than surprise, as the Lupus leapt backwards, landing a little unsteadily due to its damaged paw. A growl sounded over the loudspeaker along with a series of curse words in Russian before the pilot launched himself at Suzaku again.

The Honorary Britannian quickly jumped out of the way, firing a Slash Harken at the Lupus as he went, managing to sink it into the Lupus's leg. When he retracted it, he slashed out with his MVS, nearly severing the leg had the Lupus not spun out of the way in time, now limping a little.

" _Well, fuck, that was close. I honestly can't tell whether you're a good pilot or just really fucking lucky,_ " the pilot said as he spun his Lupus around to face Suzaku, its remaining metal-cutting claws scratching the stone ground. The assault rifles on its shoulders began firing at Suzaku again but he blocked the bullets with the Blaze Luminous, gliding to the side just in time to avoid the Lupus attempting to ram into him and spinning to keep the green shield in front of him since the pilot hadn't stopped firing yet.

He and the Lupus continued fighting and Suzaku focused on drawing the Lupus away from where Lelouch was pinned beneath the debris. The last thing he wanted was for the Lupus to go after the prince when he was unable to fight back at the moment. Unfortunately, the Lupus had managed to get between him and the prince but, thankfully, the pilot seemed more focused on him than on Lelouch.

Despite the MVSs and the Blaze Luminous, Suzaku and this pilot had started off pretty evenly matched and, even though his knightmare was damaged, the pilot was still putting up a good fight. He was combining use of its assault rifles with his remaining metal-cutting claws, attempting to get past Suzaku's defense. Suzaku was quick though, able to avoid the slashes and block the bullets while going on the offensive whenever he saw an opening. He didn't just rely on his MVSs though; he also used his Slash Harkens, one of which he finally managed to lodge into one of the Lupus's assault rifles, and used the knightmare itself. However, the Lupus retaliated by firing its assault rifles at the portion of the ceiling that still remained intact, forcing Suzaku to quickly dodge out of the way to avoid the falling debris.

" _You're a pretty decent fighter,_ " the pilot said again over the loudspeaker. " _Just who the fuck are ya anyway? I wanna know the name of the person I'm fighting, especially one as good as ya, before I kill you._ "

Suzaku remained silent, edging around the Lupus until he was between it and Lelouch again, keying on his headset as he did so. "How are you doing?" he asked.

" _Still conscious at the moment,_ " Lelouch replied.

Suzaku returned his attention to his opponent.

" _So you ain't gonna tell me? That's fucking rude. I mean, I'll even introduce myself. I'm Nightfall, Second in Command of the Liberators,_ " the pilot said.

Suzaku's eyes went wide. All this time, he was fighting the _Second in Command of the Liberators?_

" _So who the fuck are you? Or are you just gonna leave me hanging? 'Cause I really would like to know just who the hell is actually managing to get the best of me at the moment, not that I'm outta the fight yet, no fucking way am I outta the fight yet,_ " Nightfall said.

Suzaku pressed his lips together, not entirely sure if he should tell Nightfall.

" _Tch, fine then, stubborn bastard,_ " Nightfall huffed. " _I just wanna know your name. How about a deal then, pilot? You tell me who you are and I'll let both you and the prince live today._ "

Suzaku narrowed his eyes. He sounded confident that he could actually win.

" _Ahhh, you think I'm actually outta this fight since I've lost one of my Claws. I ain't outta the fight yet. In fact,_ "—Nightfall let out a sadistic laugh—" _I am far from being done. I did pack a few surprises in my Lupus. Never thought I'd get to use 'em but there ya go._ "

His undamaged paw seemed to fold in, reaching into a compartment and he withdrew a long, cylindrical container that Suzaku, to his horror, recognized as a chaos mine. " _I'll just unleash this little surprise. Even if ya can block it with that fucking shield of yours, I don't think this building can handle something like this and I doubt even your advanced knightmare can stand having the_ rest _of this building topple on your head,_ " he said, balancing on three legs as he had the Lupus's undamaged paw hold the chaos mine, ready to activate it with just a press of one of its claws.

Suzaku narrowed his eyes, judging whether he could get to Nightfall before he activated the chaos mine or not, while also wondering if Nightfall was bluffing and whether he will keep his end of the deal or not. It didn't seem likely that he could reach the other pilot and, as he briefly looked around the damaged building, he realized that Nightfall was right. Only the ceiling of the second floor had collapsed earlier, as he could see the ceiling of the third floor, but the walls were badly damaged and the building really did look as if it would cave inward at any second.

" _So do we got a deal? Tell me who you are and both you and the prince get to live to see another day,_ " Nightfall said.

Biting his lip, Suzaku finally keyed on his loudspeaker. "How do I even know you'll stick with your end of the deal?" he said.

There was a moment of silence, followed by a loud, creepy laugh. " _Japanese! You're Japanese! This is hilarious. The conquered serving the conquers like a beat-up dog returning to the master that had beat it! You're a traitor to your entire country, you know that? Ahahaha,_ " Nightfall exclaimed.

Suzaku gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to react or say anything. It wouldn't be the first time that he'd been called a traitor; he was used to it, or so he kept telling himself. In reality, he still felt hurt whenever he heard his own people call him a traitor because he was doing this all for them. He was trying to change things from within for them without having to resort to violence and terrorism.

" _So who are you, oh dog of Britannia?_ " Nightfall asked, not answering Suzaku's question at all.

He bit his lip again but, with the threat of Nightfall unleashing that chaos mine and destroying what was left of the building they were in—and Lelouch's life on the line—he did the only thing he could do. "My name's Suzaku Kururugi," he said.

There was another long moment of silence, then loud laughter. " _Oh my God! The son of Genbu Kururugi himself is serving Britannia! Ahahahaha. Oh the irony, the sweet, sweet irony that the son of the man whom called for a do-or-die resistance against Britannia fighting_ for _Britannia! Ahahaha,_ " Nightfall exclaimed. " _What would your father think were he here? Ahahaha. You're so weak and foolish, fighting for the very people who destroyed your country. You are even more of a traitor than I had thought, turning your back on your people like that. Pathetic._ "

Suzaku licked his lips. "I'm doing this _for_ my people," he blurted out and, a moment later, found himself wondering why he was trying to defend himself to the second-in-command of the Liberators, to a _terrorist._

Another round of sadistic laughter echoed from the Lupus across from him. " _Do you truly believe that? Oh you are such a fucking moron if you actually think that fighting_ for _Britannia will change anything. Ahahahaha,_ " Nightfall said gleefully. " _Admit it, you're just too scared to fight against Britannia, too much of a weak, useless, treacherous coward to pick up arms and fight back for your people._ "

"You're wrong! I can change things for my people by working within the system," Suzaku said, trying hard to keep his voice steady but, even though he should be used to hearing such words, they still felt like a punch to the gut whenever he heard them.

" _Change the system from within? Ahahahaha. You are such a fucking naive little bastard, aren't you? Do you honestly think someone as useless and weak as_ you _can do something like that? Ha,_ " Nightfall said with a laugh. " _You are a moron, a pathetic moron. Your father would be so ashamed of you and will probably tell you as much when he sees you again in the afterlife!_ "

That was the only warning Suzaku got before the chaos mine was released.

He jolted out of his shock and shot forward, toward Lelouch, immediately covering Lelouch's body with the _Lancelot,_ hoping that Nightfall was wrong and the entire building wouldn't come down on their heads. Or, at the very least, that the _Lancelot_ would be able to withstand the added weight.

Nightfall, his sadistic laughter echoing out of his loudspeaker, leapt through the large window, getting clear of the red bolts of energy just in time. The bolts shot everywhere, crashing into windows, walls, and the ceiling, taking out what was left of the support that kept the building up.

Suzaku kept himself over Lelouch, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes. _Just let Lelouch survive, let Lelouch survive,_ he thought as he felt the debris from above fall onto the back of his knightmare.

 **. . .**

Coughing as dust rose up despite the white knightmare frame that was crouched over him, Lelouch blinked and gazed around. The _Lancelot_ was shielding him and Lelouch could see debris from the collapsed building laying all around him. He tilted his head up to find that the _Lancelot_ seemed to be holding the weight of the debris fairly well.

"Suzaku?" he called through his headset.

" _I'm here,_ " Suzaku said.

"Any injuries?"

" _None that I can tell right now,_ " Suzaku said and straightened up, letting the debris fall to the ground and the _Lancelot_ picked up the heavy piece of debris that was pinning Lelouch's arm to the floor. " _We need to get out of here before the rest of the building collapses._ "

Lelouch, using his good arm to push himself into a sitting position, despite the fact that moving caused white-hot pain to ripple up and down his arm, nodded. "I need to get to the ward office and assess what's happened anyway," he said.

" _My prince, I strongly suggest that we see a medic first,_ " Suzaku said.

"I'm fine. It's just a broken arm. I can take care of it later. Right now, I've been out of touch ever since my fight with Nightfall started," Lelouch said. He also hadn't been able to contact anyone when Suzaku's fight against Nightfall began because of his inability to move without feeling intense pain. He needed to see what was happening personally since he couldn't contact anyone. The only reason he'd been able to speak to Suzaku was because Suzaku had contacted him first..

"... _At least let me splint your arm when we get out of this building, my prince,_ " Suzaku said finally.

Lelouch pressed his lips together but finally nodded. "Very well," he said and Suzaku stretched out his knightmare's hand. Trying not to move his broken arm too much, Lelouch climbed onto it and his unofficial knight turned and left the building.

They managed to clear the building before it collapsed fully. Once they were clear, Suzaku gently placed Lelouch on the ground before ejecting and leaping down from his cockpit. Lelouch studied Suzaku's face as his friend, and knight, came to his side. Nightfall's words had made even Lelouch bristle with fury but he had no idea of how they'd affected Suzaku.

To anyone else, he wasn't showing any sign of being affected by what Nightfall said but Lelouch has always been good at reading people. He could see the tension in Suzaku's shoulders and the way he was attempting to mask the guilt and self-loathing on his face. It was the self-loathing that Lelouch caught on Suzaku's face that really threw him off. _Why does he feel that way about himself?_ He thought.

After Suzaku splinted his arm, Lelouch slowly stood up and gazed around. They weren't too far from the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, or what was left of it anyway, but Lelouch could see, just from his perspective, that more than just the ward office had been damaged. There didn't seem to be any more fighting but he couldn't be sure until he spoke to Dimitri, whom he'd tasked with keeping an eye on everyone during the battle.

"Let's go, Suzaku," he said, glancing at his friend who nodded, his face clearing of emotion and setting on the determined battle-worn face of a soldier. Even so, Lelouch could still see traces of self-loathing in his friend's emerald green eyes; he frowned to himself but decide that now wasn't the time to figure out what was going on with his friend.

Right now, he needed to assess the situation, ensure that the battle was truly over, go over causalities and damage reports and, most importantly, see if his plan worked and he'd pulled off the miracle he'd told General Andon that he would pull off.

 **. . .**

 _West Wing Conference Room, Fifth Floor, Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office_

"This is Diethard Ried coming to you live from Sapporo on Hokkaido Island where I have just witnessed the most chaotic battle in my life," Diethard Ried said, gazing out the window at the devastated city below for a moment before turning to the cameraman. Below, the pilots who hadn't lost their knightmares during the battle were assessing the damage done to them and Prince Lelouch, who had arrived back at the ward office injured and on the palm of the white knightmare frame's hand, immediately began issuing orders to his still-able men. While Diethard couldn't hear what was being said, he knew that the sweeping gesture that the prince was making with his good arm suggested that he wanted a sweep of the city, which was only natural to ensure that there were no more enemies laying in wait.

"The battles are over, things are winding down here, and it would appear that Prince Lelouch vi Britannia has succeeded in doing what only one other person has done; he has successfully defeated a cell of the Liberators. There is no doubt about that," Diethard went on and then began to give a summary of what had transpired since the battle began earlier that afternoon. It was already almost midnight and moonlight illuminated the quiet, battle-scarred city of Sapporo.

"What had started out as an unfair fight in favor of the Liberators quickly turned into a nearly evenly matched fight between the Liberators and Britannia. However, it wasn't long before the chaos that dominated the heart of Sapporo quickly turned even more chaotic, brutal, and ruthless as the Liberators slowly found themselves losing ground and men to Prince Lelouch and the 11th Regiment."

Diethard couldn't help but tremble as he spoke, his eyes bright because he was happy, beyond happy, to actually be able to witness such a momentous, historical victory. In the decade that they have been around, the Liberators had practically achieved near legendary status due to winning twenty engagements in a row; even if Prince Lelouch hadn't been the one to break the streak, defeating someone who'd achieved near legendary status was an amazing accomplishment.

And the way he did it! Using half of his regiment to draw the enemy in and then going around and boxing them in with the other half. And, even though it was clear that the Liberators still outnumbered the Black Knights, the prince still managed to get the advantage. It didn't even appear as if he had a set plan, at least not one that Diethard could see—but then, once again, Diethard was a reporter, not a military strategist—and still managed to not only get the upper hand but also _keep it_ for the rest of the battle. Even if he, himself, had been locked in his own personal fight toward the end, there was no denying that his men did very well on their own in fighting off the last of the enemy.

Just watching it from above, Diethard had seen the results and he couldn't deny that Prince Lelouch's men had practically _annihilated_ the Eleven cell of the Liberators. At least, that was how he saw it and that was how he reported it. After all, such things made for a very good story and it wasn't as if he was lying.

"Slowly, but surely, the Liberators were defeated. No, that is not the right word for Lelouch vi Britannia did not defeat the Liberators; like a demon, he utterly _annihilated_ them!" he stated dramatically even as he thought about something.

Princess Cornelia had the moniker of Witch of Britannia, along with the Goddess of Victory, Prince Schneizel had the White Prince, and the Cold-Blood Strategist.

 _But what moniker does Prince Lelouch have? None 'cause he's so new to the militaristic scene and yet being victorious over the Liberators, the biggest, most powerful, and nearly undefeated terrorist organization in the entire world, will definitely cause his reputation to skyrocket. Why not add to that reputation?_ Diethard thought.

He had first decided to accompany Prince Lelouch to Sapporo because he felt that the prince would be able to win against the Liberators, and he'd been right. Now he wanted to keep on following the prince because he had no doubt that the prince was not going to stop there. The prince had even stated during the interview earlier that day of what his intentions were, that he was going to fight against any terrorist that dares to challenge him. Diethard had no doubt that there would be terrorists who would challenge the prince, for various reasons, including but not limited to proving that the prince's victory here was a fluke or simply because they're too stubborn and prideful to back down in the face of a powerful enemy.

Nonetheless, after witnessing this victory firsthand, Diethard knew that the terrorists who decided to challenge Prince Lelouch would not know what they were getting into and he wanted to be the one to document it all.

And he decided to also be the one to designate a moniker onto the prince, mostly because, after witnessing this fight, he knew, to him anyway, the perfect one. "The chaos has ended and from the ashes and blood of his enemies, the demon Prince Lelouch vi Britannia rises," Diethard declared loudly. "This is Diethard Ried, reporting live from Sapporo on Hokkaido Island where I have just witnessed a miracle and the birth of the Demon Prince of Britannia!"

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: and so the Demon Prince of Britannia has been born!**

 **Bakura: that's a nod to what Lelouch is referred to at the end of canon, isn't it?**

 **Blaze: maybe~**

 **Lelouch: why am I not surprised it's Diethard that gave me this moniker?**

 **Blaze: it just seemed like something he would do. Still don't like the bastard**

 **Suzaku: you don't like Diethard?**

 **Blaze: I like him as much as I like Rolo, that is to say he's not my favorite character in the world but a small part of me does like him. Granted, I like Rolo more. Speaking of Rolo (starts sobbing)**

 **Suzaku:** **on a completel** **y** **unrelated note** **, how** **is Bakura** **here and Luciano's still falling?**

 **Luciano: (still falling)** _ **HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?!**_

 **Bakura: (shrugs) it pays to be Blaze's favorite villain in _Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

 **Charles: then why am I always getting blown up or killed?**

 **Blaze: you really think** _ **you're**_ **my favorite villain in** _ **Code Geass?**_ **(Start laughing hysterically)**

 **Suzaku: Schneizel's Blaze's favorite villain in** _ **Code Geass**_

 **Lelouch: (pulls out freezing chainsaw and grins sadistically at Charles** **)**

 **Charles: shit! Not again! (Takes off running)**

 **Lelouch: this never gets old (chases after Charles)**

 **Blaze: anyway, so I teared up when I wrote Gretchen's death scene—and every time I reread it—and I honestly don't know if it's because the scene tugged at my heartstrings like I was trying to get it to do or my medicine is messing with my emotions again. Let me know what you think.**

 **Suzaku: Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter will cover the afterma** **t** **h and there are three more chapters in Arc II after this one.**

 **Blaze: wait, we're only** **four** **chapters away from the dreaded chapter 30?**

 **Suzaku: yes**

 **Lelouch: (walks into room while stowing away freezing chainsaw) what happens in chapter 30?**

 **Blaze: (starts to edge backwards slowly)**

 **Bakura: something that will have Nunnally's fans out for her blood**

 **Blaze: BAKURA! You weren't supposed to tell him!**

 **Bakura: (shrugs) I live to torture foolish mortals**

 **Lelouch: (yanks out lightsaber and growls warningly) Blaze...what happens in chapter 30?**

 **Blaze:** **Suzaku! End the chapter!** **(Bolts** **to find a place to hid** **e** **from Lelouch and Nunnally's fans** **)**

 **Lelouch: get back here and answer my question! (Chases after Blaze)**

 **Suzaku: (sighs) well, the next chapter will be out hopefully before the end of the month, reviews are much appreciated, and thank you for reading.**


	27. In the Wake of the Storm

**I'm so happy. I got a job!**

 **Bakura: big whoop.**

 **Oh shut up. You've never had a job. You just steal everything you want.**

 **Bakura: no duh**

 **Anyway, I decided that I may as well update. Hopefully I'll be able to update more but, with the fact that I am working now, my updates may be even slower than before.**

 **Bakura: that's not that big of a surprise.**

 **Oh be quiet, Bakura. Anyway, thank you to** _ **owlkniht, lex, harlequin320, Blacksword Zero, demedichi, TC9078, Shadow-Shinobi666, J. , DarthMaine, chimera629, Commandant L, DYnoJackal19, Adamantium-Soldier74, OBSERVER01, Scarease, Doommajor, anand891996,**_ **and** _ **B-Kira**_ **for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

 **I hope that you enjoy this chapter. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 _July 22, 2016_

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

 _Shirley made her way into the meeting room, looking around when she noticed that she was the only one there. She shrugged and walked over to one of the chairs, figuring that everyone was just running a bit late. As she sat down, she glanced at the television screen, which was on—whoever was in there last must have turned it on and forgotten about it—and currently displaying Ried's commentary on Lelouch's victory over the Liberators at Sapporo as well as his new moniker of Demon Prince._

 _She bit her lip. She just couldn't see her friend, and crush, as a demon. Sure, the battle was bad and sure there were some incidents that Ried commented on that were bad but all battles were bad. Shirley may have never experienced war before but she'd read enough about it to know that war wasn't sunshine and rainbows._

 _Thinking about Lelouch brought with it the memory of the last time that Shirley had spoken to him, when he'd called her to inform her that he would have to postpone their plans for dinner because of the incident at Osaka and then he was shipped off to Sapporo._

Will he even remember by the time he gets back? When will he come back anyway? _Shirley wondered silently and out of curiosity. She had little to no knowledge of how the military worked; she only knew that Lelouch had jumped straight from one situation to the next. Who knew if there was another situation._

 _And Shirley didn't even know if he still remembered about their date. She blushed at the thought and Milly decided that moment to step into the meeting room. Perfect timing._

 _"What's up, Shirley? Thinking 'bout a certain purple-eyed prince?" Milly asked with a teasing grin._

 _Shirley's blush deepened but she didn't answer._

 _"Ah, you are, aren't you?" Milly said, taking a seat beside the orangette. "What's wrong?"_

 _"Nothing," Shirley said a bit too quickly._

 _"Girl, I know something's wrong. It's written all over your face. Does it got anything to do with that date that you two were supposed to go on had he not been dragged off to Osaka?" Milly asked._

 _Shirley bit her lip but nodded. "Yeah, I know it's not his fault or anything but...he said that we had to postpone it but what if he's forgotten? I don't...I'm not sure I'll be able to ask him out again," she admitted. Even if Milly's advice to act like herself when around Lelouch did help, there was no denying that the thought of asking Lelouch out again caused her to stomach to fill with butterflies._

 _Milly chuckled. "Then just remind him when he calls next," she said simply._

 _"Ah...I don't...I mean I..."_

 _"Calm down, Shirley. You're not actually asking him out. You're just reminding him of the date he had to postpone."_

 _"Oh, yeah, you're right," Shirley said, remembering that she'd managed to ask Lelouch out on a third date for the Sunday after the movie but, unfortunately, he had to leave before then._

 _"I'm always right," Milly said. "Now then, what shall you wear? Hmm, I'm thinking that blue dress that I found at that boutique."_

 _Shirley, knowing full well which dress Milly was referencing, went red. "Madame President!"_

 _Milly just gave her a big perverted grin and laughed._

 _ **. . .**_

 **26**

 **In the Wake of the Storm**

 _July 25, 2016_

 _West Wing Conference Room, Fifth Floor, Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office_

General Andon gazed out the window of the West Wing Conference Room, watching Prince Lelouch, his right arm in a cast and sling and the bruises that he'd received from the battle three days ago still healing, talking with his Royal Guard or the other soldiers. The past three days had been pretty busy for the 11th Regiment, or Black Knights as they were now known as area-wide rather than amongst themselves.

The newly christened, due to Diethard Ried's live report three days ago, Demon Prince of Britannia was spending most of his time attempting to find where the citizens had gone, finding a way to start rebuilding the city, since quite a bit of it was destroyed during the battle, and arranging funerals and memorials for the soldiers who'd die, since many more had died during this engagement than at Osaka. And that was only touching the surface of what he would need to do in order to stabilize Sapporo; too much had happened to the city for it to recover in an instant and Andon was sure that the citizens, when they finally returned, would feel more comfortable having the very prince who'd won them their city back remaining there for the time being.

And that was why Andon had decided that Prince Lelouch would remain in Sapporo for the time being in order to stabilize the city and help start the rebuilding process.

"I think it might be a good idea because it would also allow him the chance to gain more experience in handling the other side of being part of the military, Your Highness," Andon was saying into his phone as he watched the soldiers mill around below. The prince had gained some experience in that area at Osaka but Sapporo was different because it had already been subjected to a vicious massacre back in January and now this battle.

" _I agree,_ " Prince Schneizel el Britannia said on the other end. " _Very well. Lelouch will remain in Sapporo until the city has been stabilized. Do you know approximately how long that shall take?_ "

"Considering the damage, the fact that we still have as of yet to locate the citizens, helping the citizens get back on their feet, and allowing the soldiers a chance to rest and recover, it will probably be, at least, two months," Andon said.

" _Very well._ "

Andon continued to study the prince. "He really did pull off a miracle," he mused. "Out-thinking the Liberators is always impressive but he managed to completely counteract the Liberators' plan almost as if he knew what it was."

" _Any good strategist knows that war and battles are very similar to a chess game on a massive scale and, in chess, predicting the opponent's moves before they make them as well as using information provided by previous moves against them is what gives a player a greater chance of winning. I have no doubt that is what my brother did,_ " Schneizel said.

Andon hummed in agreement. "He certainly is a powerful ally to have," he mused.

" _Indeed. Having the Demon Prince on my side definitely helps with my own plans,_ " Schneizel said.

"Demon Prince...I'm a bit surprised that it caught on as quickly as it has," Andon admitted.

" _I am not surprised. When it comes to the media, if they decide to give someone a certain moniker, that moniker sticks with them. It was because of the media that Cornelia and I got ours,_ " Schneizel said simply. " _I must report to the Emperor so I will let you go now, General. Continue observing my brother and keep reporting back to me._ "

"Understood, Your Highness," Andon said and closed his phone as the White Prince ended the call.

 **. . .**

 _Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo_

Lelouch dismissed the soldiers who had just returned from another sweep of the city who'd just reported that the city was still clear of terrorists. Resisting the urge to yawn, he hadn't gotten much sleep since the battle three days ago while he was dealing with the aftermath and everything that entailed, Lelouch walked over to join his Royal Guard, and Suzaku, who were talking nearby. His arm was resting against his chest in a cast and sling though, thankfully, the medic had said that it would heal in anywhere from a few months to half a year.

"Hey, there's our resident Demon Prince," Tadashi greeted Lelouch with a big grin. Ever since they'd discovered Lelouch's new moniker, after watching a recording of Ried's live broadcast of the end of the battle, Tadashi had taken to greeting him like that when they were alone. Lelouch knew he was only doing it because he could since he was Lelouch's friend, and that was why he only did it when they were in private.

Personally, he wasn't entirely sure what to make of the moniker. According to the news and the newspapers, other reporters and journalists had picked it up and that likely meant that Lelouch was stuck with it.

"Show some respect," Dimitri said, more in exasperation than in true anger or irritation. He'd gotten used to the majority of Lelouch's Royal Guard treating him so informally and like a friend when in private but, sometimes, he would fall back on his old habits.

"Or you might make the 'demon' mad. I wouldn't want a pissed-off demon after me," Rayne said with a grin that seemed almost forced. The somberness in her eyes, that Lelouch knew was the result of the death of her eldest sister, had cleared up a bit the past three days but he knew that one could not get over the death of a loved one right away. Even if he didn't know the entire story behind the relationship, or lack thereof, between Rayne and her sister, it was clear that what happened between them had changed things a little.

"True. Wait, if he's a demon..." Tadashi shook his head. "I pity the poor fool who tries to flirt with Nunnally or Euphie now."

"Agreed," Rayne said with a nod while Lelouch raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Is there anything that we need to do?" Lila asked and Lelouch turned to look at the blonde girl.

"Not at the moment, no," Lelouch said. "I am going to send out a couple of squads into the mountains soon to look for the citizens though."

Lila looked interested. "May I join one of those squads?" she asked, trying hard to hide the eagerness in her voice but Lelouch still saw it shining in her eyes.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"I haven't gone hiking in a while and I enjoy hiking," Lila admitted sheepishly.

Lelouch hummed but decided that he may as well. It wasn't as if he was going to be left unprotected; even if he was planning on having Kay and Dimitri lead two more squads, he would still have Tadashi, Rayne, Jeremiah, and Suzaku by him. And it wasn't as if he was in any danger at the moment, though he wasn't stupid enough to let his guard down.

"All right, you may lead a squad. Dimitri, Kay, I want you two to lead two more squads. Choose who you want to go with you," Lelouch said.

"Ah, may I go with Lila, Your Highness?" Tadashi asked a bit too quickly and then blushed and looked away when Lelouch glanced at him.

"That would not be wise," Dimitri said with a frown. "That would leave only Rayne and Margrave Gottwald to keep His Highness safe."

"Oh yeah," Tadashi said.

"You may go with Lila if you wish, Tadashi," Lelouch said. "I also have Suzaku to keep me safe and it's not like I can't take care of myself."

Suzaku blinked at him, though Lelouch saw tiredness in his eyes and dark circles under them. He looked just as exhausted as Lelouch felt. "You have a broken arm," he said.

"Thank you for that, Mr. Obvious," Lelouch said with a glower at his unofficial knight. Suzaku just smiled back at him briefly. "Besides, the sweeps that I've had done of the city have turned up nothing so we should be fine."

Dimitri pressed his lips tightly together but nodded. "When should we head out, Your Highness?" he asked.

"When Jeremiah returns from the Ebetsu Ghetto," Lelouch said.

"Yes, Your Highness. I will go and gather my squad together now," Dimitri said with a salute before he turned and walked away.

Lila and Kay, after saluting as well, followed suit with Tadashi trailing after Lila.

Rayne watched them go, then turned to Lelouch. "Do we even know if the citizens are even alive?" she asked warily.

That was a question that Lelouch had pondered himself when he'd first found out just how abandoned the city was during the campaign against the Liberators. "There's no evidence that anything happened to them," he admitted. "There should be _some_ sort of evidence if the Liberators had killed them and I can't see a reason why they would do that."

"True."

"So do you think maybe they evacuated the citizens when they took control of the city?" Suzaku asked curiously.

"I think that's a strong possibility," Lelouch said. "It would make sense if they didn't want the citizens to get caught in the crossfire since they were not ignorant enough to think Britannia _wouldn't_ send someone to take back the city."

"Your Highness!" Jeremiah's call came before anyone could respond to Lelouch's words and he turned to find the orange-eyed captain of his Royal Guard walking toward him with his squad behind him. He bowed as he came to a stop in front of Lelouch.

"What did you find out at the Ebetsu Ghetto, Jeremiah?" Lelouch asked.

"We found evidence of the Liberators using the Ebetsu Ghetto as their base of operations," Jeremiah said. "A few Liberators who'd fled the battle were hiding out in the Ebetsu Ghetto. We managed to capture one of them but the other managed to get away before we could catch them. We've transported him to the G1 and Lieutenant Colonel Soresi is questioning him now."

Lelouch pressed his lips together. "Using Ebetsu was a pretty smart move, considering that it is close enough to Sapporo that they wouldn't have to waste too much energy to get here but also far enough away that we wouldn't be able to detect them," he said. "Good work, Jeremiah."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Jeremiah said and dismissed his squad with a wave of his hand.

Dimitri, Kay, Lila, Tadashi, and the squads they had formed walked over a few minutes later to receive their orders. Lelouch told them the places that he wanted them to check and sent them on their way, biting his lip to repress another yawn that threatened to escape.

"You look exhausted, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

"I'm fine, Jeremiah," Lelouch said, turning around and began walking toward the Ward Office. Jeremiah and Suzaku immediately followed him.

"Maybe you should get some rest, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

"I'm fine," Lelouch insisted as they walked into the Ward Office and Lelouch led the way to his office.

"Yeah, right." Suzaku snorted. "You're just being stubborn again. You're no good to anyone if you collapse from exhaustion, you know?"

Jeremiah whirled around, about ready to either hit Suzaku for that or give him a tongue lashing, but Lelouch, holding up a hand to forestall Jeremiah's reaction, raised an eyebrow. "And what about you? You look like you're half-dead," he said.

Suzaku flushed a little and looked away. "I...just haven't been able to get any sleep," he said.

Lelouch studied his friend. Something was bothering his friend but he decided not to press, now anyway. "No need to be a hypocrite by drawing attention to my own exhaustion, Suzaku," he drawled with a smirk and Suzaku's flush deepened before he threw Lelouch a quick scowl.

The three of them reached the office and walked into it, Lelouch heading for his desk, on which was the stack of paperwork that he had yet to get to, while Jeremiah, throwing a glare at Suzaku who shifted uncomfortably under the Margrave's penetrating orange gaze, followed him. "Your Highness, why do you let Warrant Officer Kururugi get away with treating you like that?" he asked.

Lelouch, who was eyeing the paperwork, turned to Jeremiah, thinking about his answer. "It's refreshing, I suppose, to be treated normally for a change. Why do you think I allow my Royal Guard to treat me as informally as they want when we're alone?" he said.

"I suppose so," Jeremiah said. "But he is to be your Knight. Should he not start acting like one?"

"From the way things are looking, it's going to be months before the official ceremony," Lelouch said, returning his attention to his paperwork, contemplating setting it on fire to get out of doing it but pushed the thought out of his mind. "He knows just what being a Knight of Honor entails, Jeremiah, I can assure you of that."

Suzaku seemed like he wanted to say something but kept silent. Lelouch noticed though and waved his uninjured hand at him. "Speak freely, Suzaku," he said.

"I just wanted to say that I know that anything I do will be reflected back on His Highness, Margrave Gottwald, and I know that being a Knight is more than just a title and an honor. And I also know that I have to work extra hard to prove myself worthy because I'm an Honorary Britannian and I will not fail in that endeavor," Suzaku said, gazing at Jeremiah with determination in his eyes.

Jeremiah blinked, probably a bit surprised by the passion with which Suzaku spoke. Lelouch knew that the passion in Suzaku's voice came from his true goal of changing Britannia from within, and how he couldn't fail at being a Knight since being a Knight would start giving him the power and status he needed to change things.

Jeremiah pulled himself from his shock. "We will see, Kururugi," he said finally. "His Highness chose you to be his Knight, even though I personally don't agree, and I will not object to His Highness's decision. I just hope that he was right to place his complete trust in you."

Noticing just how serious the atmosphere had gotten, Lelouch finally decided to break the tension that seemed almost tangible between his unofficial Knight and the captain of his Royal Guard. "I never knew you knew such big words, Suzaku," he teased, even though he knew that Suzaku was actually pretty intelligent, even if he was more brawn than brains.

"Not everyone can be a genius like you, Your Highness," Suzaku said with a bow that was both serious and mocking at the exact same time.

Lelouch chuckled a little. "I suppose that's true," he said. He paused and added, "By the way, where did Rayne go?" He had thought that Rayne had followed them when he entered the Ward Office.

"I am not sure, Your Highness. Shall I go look for her?" Jeremiah asked.

Lelouch hummed in thought before nodding. "I should be safe enough in here," he said.

"Yes, Your Highness. I will send some soldiers to keep guard outside, however," Jeremiah stated firmly, saluting with his fist over his heart before he turned and walked out of the office.

Suzaku watched him go and turned to Lelouch. "You know, I think he's right," he said.

"Hmm?" Lelouch, who'd picked up one of the pieces of paper with his good hand and placed it on his desk, turned amethyst eyes to Suzaku.

"I should start acting like a true Knight, even if it will still be a couple of months before the official ceremony," Suzaku said.

"Suzaku, I don't mind if you treat me informally while we're in private. I wasn't kidding with what I said earlier. I do find it rather refreshing to be treated like I'm back to being just a regular student at Ashford rather than a prince," Lelouch said. He supposed that allowing both Suzaku and his Royal Guard treat him informally was also a way of allowing him to remind himself that he was still human, even if everyone saw him as a demon.

Besides, looking through the reports of the battle here in Sapporo and the results, he was starting to see why Diethard Ried had given him the moniker of Demon Prince. And while he didn't know just how to feel about the moniker, he was starting to just accept it; he was going to be stuck with it. Besides, he was sure that the moniker would only add to the reputation he had amassed from this battle alone.

He scowled inwardly. _Well, have I proved myself useful to you, dear Father?_ He thought scornfully, even _thinking_ the title 'father' venomously.

Nonetheless, having a little reminder that, despite being a demon in the eyes of the public, he still maintained his humanity wasn't a bad thing.

Deciding to change the subject, Lelouch glanced at the time. "Hmm, classes should be letting out by now. I'm calling Nunnally. Do you want to say hi?" he asked as he reached for the phone.

"Sure," Suzaku said.

Lelouch dialed the number and let it ring until Sayoko answered. "Hello, Sayoko, will you please put Nunnally on the phone?" he said.

" _Of course, Master Lelouch. One moment. I believe Mistress Nunnally is in the Student Council's meeting room,_ " Sayoko said and Lelouch heard her leave the apartment. There was silence on the other end before Lelouch heard Nunnally's voice.

" _Sayoko, what brings you here?_ " she asked.

" _Your brother would like to speak to you,_ " Sayoko said.

" _Really? Great. Thank you, Sayoko,_ " Nunnally said.

" _Put it on speaker phone!_ " Milly's voice shouted in the background and Lelouch pulled the phone away from his ear just as he heard Milly, Shirley, and Rivalz shout their greeting into the phone. He chuckled and shook his head in amusement. _Milly,_ he thought fondly.

 **. . .**

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

After shouting their greetings to Lelouch, Shirley, Rivalz, and Milly retook their seats as they waited for Lelouch to respond. Even as she sat down, Shirley found herself thinking about what she had witnessed on the television; Ried's report on the battle of Sapporo and the new moniker that he'd given Lelouch—a moniker that the rest of the media had picked up and was now universally acknowledged as Lelouch's. She wasn't entirely sure that she liked her crush being known as the Demon Prince of Britannia but kept her thoughts to herself. No one else seemed to be worrying about it, though she had noticed how Nunnally seemed a bit upset when the moniker was created three days ago.

" _Thankfully, I knew you were going to do that, Milly, so you didn't break my eardrums this time,_ " Lelouch's voice said dryly.

"Drat," Milly said with a pout.

Lelouch chuckled. " _How are you, Nunnally? I know I haven't been able to call a lot lately but I've been really busy,_ " he said.

"I can understand that, Big Brother," Nunnally said with a soft smile. "We were watching and listening to that live report on what was going on in Sapporo."

" _You were?_ " Lelouch sounded faintly surprised.

"We were curious, since you said you were going to Hokkaido," Milly admitted. "Though we really only heard Ried's commentary on the entire situation."

"I insisted on staying," Nunnally added as if expecting Lelouch to ask why she was listening to that report. "I wanted to know...I just wanted to know what was going on and if you were all right."

"... _I'm fine, Nunnally,_ " Lelouch assured her. " _Suzaku's here too, by the way._ "

" _Hello Nunnally,_ " Suzaku's familiar voice sounded on the other end and Nunnally smiled. "Hi Suzaku," she said. She bit her lip then asked, "Are you going to be coming home soon, Big Brother?"

" _Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I'm going to be leaving for a while yet,_ " Lelouch admitted regrettably. " _Sapporo's in such chaos that it's going to take a while to stabilize it. I'll be leaving as soon as the city's stabilized though but I don't know how long that will take._ "

"Oh." Nunnally sounded disappointed but the she pushed it aside and added, "I guess I can understand that. You've got your duties and all."

" _...So how have you been, Nunnally?_ " Lelouch asked.

"I've been good. Brother Clovis is still visiting a lot and the Student Council lets me participate in any activities that they have planned," Nunnally said.

" _Are you still being protected?_ " Lelouch asked, clearly still remembering the assassination attempt.

"Yeah, Briana rarely leaves my side and neither does Sayoko," Nunnally said. At that, Shirley glanced toward the bodyguard that was standing by the door to the meeting room, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes narrowed as they flickered across the room many times.

" _Good. That reminds me. Suzaku, remind me to call Clovis. I need an update on the search for the assassin_." His voice darkened, taking on a dangerous tone that caused a shiver to run down Shirley's spine; with a voice like that, it wasn't hard to picture her crush as the Demon Prince the media portrayed him as. She wasn't that surprised; when it came to Nunnally's safety, he was extremely overprotective.

"Hell hath no fury like an overprotective older brother," Kallen murmured and Shirley wasn't positive but she thought she saw Kallen briefly glance at Tara and Tara flinching before looking away. She blinked but didn't understand why that happened so she just pushed it aside.

" _And how are the rest of you doing?_ " Lelouch asked.

"We're good, Lulu," Shirley said. "Milly's kept us busy and not thinking about what happened."

"Yeah, since we're going on vacation in a few days, Kallen invited all of us over to her house for a few days," Milly said.

"Almost all of us," Tara muttered.

"So sorry but I can only invite a limited number of people," Kallen said sweetly. "And I am positive my mother"—her lip seemed to twist a little—"would absolutely love to meet Princess Nunnally and if her guards have to come, I can't bring you along."

"I wanted to go," Nunnally admitted, "since I had such a good time during the sleepover I held a while ago."

" _As long as your guards go with you then I have no objections but you should inform Clovis,_ " Lelouch said.

"I will."

A _thud_ like a door banging against the wall sounded followed by a shout of " _Your Highness!_ "

" _What is so important that you felt the need to practically tear my office's door off its hinges, Private?_ " Lelouch said irritably.

" _Ah, sorry about that, Your Highness, but Lieutenant Moore and I found the citizens but they're refusing to return to the city. Lieutenant Moore is attempting to convince them that it's safe but they're being stubborn. She believes that they may be more willing to listen if you were the one to come and speak to them,_ " the Eleven boy's voice that Shirley vaguely remembered from when Lelouch called while he was in Aomori said.

" _They're probably simply being paranoid but, given what happened to Sapporo back in January coupled with this, I can understand why. Very well. Where are they located?_ "

" _The Minami Ghetto, at the base of Mt. Asahi,_ " the Eleven boy said.

" _Very well. Listen, Nunnally, I have to go. I'll try and call you later,_ " Lelouch said.

"I understand, Big Brother, be safe," Nunnally said.

" _I will,_ " Lelouch said.

Milly suddenly nudged Shirley in the side, whispering, "Didn't you say you were going to remind Lelouch of something when we next spoke to him?"

Shirley blushed as she recalled that conversation but steeled herself, reminding herself that she was just reminding Lelouch of the date she'd asked him on. "Before you go, Lulu, um, well, do you remember when we spoke in person last?" she asked. "You know...um...when I asked you, er, to dinner..." She trailed off, her cheeks reddening.

" _I haven't forgotten, Shirley,_ " Lelouch said reassuringly. " _I don't know when I'll be back though. I'm hoping it will be before the end of the year. We can arrange a day and time when I get back._ "

"Okay, yeah, that sounds great," Shirley said a bit too quickly.

" _Your Highness, we really need to get going. You can talk to your girlfriend later,_ " Suzaku's voice sounded in the background.

The blush that had just faded from Shirley's cheeks came back.

"..."

There was snickering followed by a " _You're blushing!_ "

"... _Shut up, Suzaku and go find Jeremiah and Rayne,_ " Lelouch growled. " _I'll talk to you guys later. Goodbye, Nunnally, I love you._ "

"I love you too, Big Brother," Nunnally said and there was a click as Lelouch hung up on the other end.

Sayoko took the phone back as Nunnally turned her face to Shirley and tilted her head to the side curiously. "Are you sure you and Big Brother aren't going to be boyfriend and girlfriend when he gets back?" she asked.

Shirley's blush deepened and she didn't respond.

"Tch, I doubt it. Why would a prince go out with a commoner rat?" Tara sneered.

"There's only one rat in this room and it certainly isn't Shirley," Kallen said meekly but there was a dark tone in her voice that took Shirley a bit by surprise.

"That wasn't very nice," Nunnally said at the exact same time. "And my mother was a commoner, you know."

"Tch, then she was just a gold-digging whore," Tara growled.

Nunnally jerked as if she had been slapped, hurt crossing her face.

Shirley's eyes went wide at the statement but, surprisingly, the person who reacted wasn't one that she expected to react.

 _Slap!_

Tara was knocked off her chair, one hand going to her reddening cheek as she stared, wide-eyed, at the culprit.

Kallen lowered her hand, her face dark with fury but that quickly cleared up as she retook her seat, lowering her head meekly. "Sorry...I don't know what came over me," she said.

"Don't apologize, Kallen," Rivalz reassured the red-haired girl. "Tara shouldn't have said such a thing."

"Yeah. No one should disrespect the dead like that and if you hadn't slapped her, I would have," Milly said darkly, glaring at Tara who seemed to cringe from the blonde's icy blue eyes.

She, wisely, chose to remain silent.

 **. . .**

 _Foothills of Mt. Asahi, Minami Ghetto_

Lila, who had spent the time while she waited for Tadashi to go tell Lelouch about the location of the citizens moving among them and checking for injuries, wiped the sweat from her forehead. It wasn't that hot; their location at the foothills made the air cooler than it was in Sapporo itself; however, the ghetto that the citizens, Britannian and Honorary Britannian alike, had been forced to live in following the Liberators taking control of their city weren't in that great a condition.

At least they were alive and didn't seem to have been injured. The mayor of Sapporo, who'd met Lila when she, Tadashi, and the rest of her squad had reached the foothills, had told her that the Liberators had just threatened to kill them if they didn't leave.

 _"And I didn't want a repeat of what happened in January so we left."_

It was completely understandable that, after the massacre that occurred in January, Mayor Kennedy would want to try and prevent that from happening again. However, he was still too stubborn to accept Lila's words when she told him that it was safe to return, even though they'd all heard Diethard Ried's report through the radio. She didn't know why but, perhaps, he would be more willing to listen to someone of authority, which was why she thought Lelouch speaking to the mayor would work.

It wasn't long before Lelouch arrived with Jeremiah, Rayne, Suzaku, Dimitri, and Kay in tow, along with a couple of squads of Black Knights; she figured that he'd recalled them once he learned that her squad had found the citizens. She walked over to greet them. "Your Highness," she said with a salute. "Shall I go get Mayor Kennedy for you?"

"Yes, if you would, Lieutenant," Lelouch said and Lila saluted again before turning around and striding back the way she'd come.

She found Mayor Kennedy speaking with a few of his advisers. "Mayor Kennedy, His Highness, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia has arrived," she said.

"Ah, thank you, Lieutenant," Kennedy said, turning around and following Lila as she led the way back to where the prince was located. His advisers trailed after him, murmuring to each other.

"Your Highness," Kennedy greeted Lelouch with a respectful bow. "We have all heard of your exploits in our city. It is an honor to meet the Demon Prince personally."

"It's a pleasure, Mayor Kennedy," Lelouch said blandly, sounding bored but even Lila could tell that Kennedy's words made him seem like a suck-up. "Why don't we get to the matter at hand?"

"Yes, yes, of course," Kennedy said. "We heard of your exploits, Your Highness; however, how can we know, for sure, that the city is safe to return to?"

"I've been having my Black Knights do periodic sweeps of the entire city to ensure that no Liberators are hiding out within the city or have sneaked back in. So far, everything is clear. Also, for the time being, I and my Black Knights will be remaining in Sapporo to ensure the city's protection while it starts to rebuild," Lelouch said calmly.

Kennedy nodded. "That is reassuring news, Your Highness," he said, a smirk on his lips. "Those Liberators won't dare try to take the city back when they'll have to deal with the Demon Prince who defeated them once already."

Lelouch's face remained impassive. "The damage done to the city was extensive, Mayor Kennedy," he said, not responding to the mayor's words. "That is why, until the heart of the city is deemed safe for the citizens, I believe it would be best for you to remain on the outskirts. General Andon has already contacted Tokyo and Viceroy Clovis has already agreed to send resources to help with the rebuilding process."

Mayor Kennedy nodded. "Very well. It's going to take a few hours to get the people ready to move out though, Your Highness," he said.

"Take as much time as you need. Lieutenant Moore and her squad will remain behind to assist you," Lelouch said.

"I understand, Your Highness," the mayor said.

 **. . .**

 _September 19, 2016_

 _Lelouch's Office, Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo_

Two months went by and Sapporo was starting to look a lot better. The rubble, scraps of metal and knightmare parts, and bodies had been cleared from the streets. Once they were able to actually get into the heart of the city, construction workers from various companies within Sapporo began the process of rebuilding the fallen buildings, though only a few, such as the East Wing of the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, were up. Sweeps by the Black Knights were still being done periodically over the past two months to reassure the citizens that they were safe; though it took some time, the citizens started going about their regular lives again, even if many were still looking over their shoulders constantly.

"It seems that things have quieted down since the terrorist cell here was defeated," General Andon was saying as Lelouch watched the citizens and the Black Knights mill around below, expressionless eyes fixed on the scene below. The only other people in the office were Lelouch's Royal Guard. "The citizens are recovering quite well and the resources they're getting from the main island is certainly helping them in that regards but we should be getting back to Tokyo. There is no point in remaining in Sapporo for much longer. You've accomplished what you set out to do."

Lelouch hummed in agreement.

"Prince Schneizel has also contacted me and told me that he has his new set of orders from His Majesty for you."

Lelouch turned around to face the General. "And what are those, General?" he asked.

"Prince Schneizel has decided to inform you personally. He is also coming here to speak to Earl Lloyd about that Lupus knightmare frame," Andon said. Lloyd had wanted to get his hands on the Lupus after the Battle of Sapporo and practically begged Lelouch to give him the information he'd found about the Lupus as well as allow the scientist to take apart one of the damaged Lupi and study it. Naturally, Lloyd had only done this to try to find a way to make the _Lancelot_ better. Then Schneizel had gotten wind of the Lupus and that was what led to this decision on his part. "He should be arriving in about a week."

Lelouch nodded once and returned his gaze to the large window. "Jeremiah," he said.

"Yes, Your Highness?" Jeremiah asked, looking up from where he was leaning against the wall.

"Have you found out any more information from the prisoner?" The prisoner, in question, was the Liberator that Jeremiah and his men had captured in the Ebetsu Ghetto. He hadn't been very forthcoming with information the first month or so when Jeremiah and Lieutenant Colonel Soresi interrogated him; however, after another month of dealing with Jeremiah's rather ruthless interrogation techniques, he started talking a few days ago.

"Nothing much. He wasn't a high ranking member of the Liberators and only followed orders. I did find out that, apparently, there was some conflict in orders though. According to the prisoner, the one called Nightfall had acted against orders from the Liberators' leader. He was never supposed to go after your life; the Liberators' leader, apparently, wants to keep you alive and wanted them to capture you," Jeremiah said, brow furrowing. "Though I am puzzled about why the Liberators wants to capture you, and alive at that."

"Perhaps as a bargaining chip to use against Britannia," Andon suggested.

Lelouch resisted the urge to snort. _I am not that important to the bastard of an Emperor,_ he thought. "Doubtful," he said. "But I suppose it's possible."

"What I find odd is why this Nightfall tried to kill you, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

"It's not that odd. He's a psychopath. Psychopaths don't really need a reason to kill. He told me that he was trying to kill me simply because I was his enemy," Lelouch said.

"You seem rather nonchalant about this," Tadashi mused from where he was sprawled out on the ground, doodling on a piece of paper.

Lelouch thought about what happened between him and Nightfall, about how close to death he had been; had Suzaku been only a few seconds later then it would have been too late. He still remembered the cold fear that had latched onto his heart, the bitter realization that he was within a breath of death, the worry as he thought about his precious little sister and what would happen to her…

He shoved the thought away, jaw clenching as he told himself, over and over again, that he was alive and that he couldn't afford to show any signs of weakness. He had no doubt fear would be seen as a weakness in the Emperor's eyes, not when Andon was still spying on him for both Schneizel and the Emperor.

"I'm alive. That's all that matters," he said simply, his voice as expressionless as his eyes.

 **. . .**

 _A.S.E.E.C.'s Base, Sapporo_

Suzaku sat up sharply, a cold sweat covering his body as he tore himself out of his nightmare. Moonlight streamed in through the window of the small room he'd been given in the A.S.E.E.C.'s mobile base, illuminating the shadows and the room felt drafty. Suzaku shivered despite himself and sat up, swinging his legs off his bed and resting his head on his hands.

Even though over two months had gone by since the Battle of Sapporo ended, Suzaku's sleep was still interrupted every now and then by nightmares of that day over six years ago. Thankfully, it wasn't every day—as it was during the first week after the battle—but it was still bothering him. Then again, it's always been bothering him from the moment he made the decision to pick up that knife and kill his father.

 _You are such a fucking naive little bastard, aren't you? Do you honestly think someone as useless and weak as_ you _can do something like that? Ha. You are a moron, a pathetic moron. Your father would be so ashamed of you…_

Suzaku gritted his teeth and, trying hard to not think about that psychopath's words, got to his feet and, after throwing on a jacket, left his room. He wasn't entirely sure what had caused him to think about Nightfall's words, which he was sure was what triggered those nightmares, when he fell asleep to begin with.

 _Would you be ashamed of me, Father?_ He thought. He'd been asking that question ever since Nightfall had first uttered those words. He had tried to let it go, to just ignore it as he had all the times his own people would call him a traitor or curse his name whenever they saw him, but, for some reason, Nightfall's words would not leave him alone.

He still felt strongly that he could accomplish his goal and that, even if it wasn't possible, he had to try, at least.

He and Lelouch shared the same goal so he had his best friend's support at least.

He knew he shouldn't be letting Nightfall's words get to him but he found it hard to stop himself from thinking about them.

"Suzaku?"

Suzaku pulled himself out of his thoughts to find Cecile looking at him in concern. He hadn't even realized that he had wandered to the control room next to the hangar. He wasn't surprised that both Cecile and Lloyd, the latter of whom was so engrossed on whatever he was looking at on the computer that he hadn't noticed the new arrival, were still up. They sometimes worked for days straight without sleeping.

"Yes, Miss Cecile?" he said.

"Are you okay? Why are you up so early?" Cecile asked.

"I'm fine, just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep," Suzaku said. He wasn't exactly lying.

Deciding that, perhaps, doing something would help him get his mind off his nightmare, Suzaku added, "Is there anything you need help with?"

"At the moment, no, but Lloyd's running some tests on both the Master Vibration Swords and those Diamond-tipped claws so he might need you to do something soon," Cecile said, still studying him with concerned eyes. They had found out within only a week of studying the Lupus that the metal-cutting material was actually sharpened diamond.

"Oh okay."

Cecile gave him a friendly, almost motherly smile and placed a hand on his arm. "If you need to talk, you can talk to me," she said.

Suzaku blinked, touched by the offer, and gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Miss Cecile, but I'm fine," he said softly. _I don't want to burden you with the knowledge of what I've done. You, just like Lelouch, have already done so much for me, things that I don't deserve,_ he thought bitterly.

 **. . .**

 _September 26, 2016_

 _Lelouch's Office, Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo_

The next week went by quickly and everything in Sapporo was still going smoothly. Lelouch was, currently, in his office, finishing off the paperwork, which was rather hard to do with only one arm—thankfully a member of his Royal Guard, usually Jeremiah, Lila, or Dimitri, would help out—while most of his Royal Guard, and Suzaku, were scattered around the office again. Suzaku had, apparently, gotten a break from working with Earl Lloyd and Major Croomy when the former hit a snag in one of the experiments he'd been testing, and decided to spend it with his friends, and Jeremiah.

He was currently listening to Tadashi tell a story about his childhood to Lila and Dimitri. Lelouch knew that Kay and Rayne, along with their elder brother Parker, were visiting the grave of their eldest sister; all three of them have visited that grave once a week since the battle. It also seemed as if the relationship between Rayne and Parker was no longer as tense as it was when they first' found out that they were both part of the same regiment.

Yawning, Lelouch finished signing off the last piece of paperwork and, putting the pen down, placed the paper on the finished pile. "Finally," he muttered. "I hate paperwork."

Jeremiah chuckled. "I am pretty sure everyone hates paperwork, Your Highness," he said. "At least you're done though."

Lelouch nodded in agreement and leaned back to stretch out his back. The cast was rather annoying but, unfortunately, the medics said that he had to keep it on for a few more months. He glanced at the time, noticing it was just after two in the afternoon. _Schneizel should be showing up any minute now,_ he thought.

Sure enough, not even five minutes later, a knock sounded on his door.

Yawning again, Lelouch called, "come in," and watched as the door opened. First came the rose-gold haired form of Kanon, Schneizel's aid, and then Schneizel was walking in, dressed as he usually dressed. Jeremiah straightened up and Lelouch's Royal Guard, that were present, along with Suzaku stood up and all of them saluted in greeting.

"Brother," Lelouch greeted Schneizel calmly. "Please, have a seat."

Schneizel simply inclined his head and sat down, a faint smile crossing his lips. "First off, I must offer my congratulations on your defeat of the Liberators. It was a most impressive victory," he said as Kanon moved to stand next to him. "I delivered the report to the Imperial Military Archive personally as you requested. Now then, why don't we get to the true reason why I am here?"

"The Emperor's newest set of orders for me," Lelouch said evenly.

"Exactly," Schneizel said with a nod, his face going serious. "Father wants you to enter into the political field; however, I feel that you would be able to better serve the Empire as part of the military. Thus, we have reached a compromise. You are to be the new Sub-Viceroy of Area 11; however, at the same time, you are to be promoted to Brigadier General and you will take over General Andon's duties of handling the terrorist threat here in Area 11. Effective immediately."

Lelouch's lips twitched a little at the orders. Being Sub-Viceroy basically meant that he would have near complete political control of Area 11, only second to Clovis; however, being in charge of handling the terrorist threat in Area 11 also gave him much power in the military as well.

 _I'm surprised. Why is the Emperor actually given me so much power by having me enter the political field and agreeing to grant me more power in the military?_ Lelouch thought with an inward frown.

"I see. Does Clovis know?" he asked.

"No," Schneizel said. "We've agreed that you will inform Clovis of Father's decision when you return to Tokyo."

After a moment of silence, the Second Prince added, "However, I have a feeling I know what you are thinking, Lelouch. Father has deigned it appropriate to grant you this kind of power simply because you have proven yourself very useful to him, more so than he ever thought you would. I will be quite honest with you; Father never thought you would actually _win_ against the Liberators but you proved his expectations wrong. As a result, you have actually become his new favorite."

Lelouch blinked in shock, though kept his face expressionless except for the slight raising of an eyebrow. _I'm the Emperor's new favorite? I hate him, I hate him more than anyone, I hate him with every fiber of my being, and I'm his new favorite?_ The urge to laugh at the irony of the situation was nearly overwhelming but Lelouch managed to quench the sensation.

"Is that so?" he said with a completely straight face.

"Indeed," Schneizel said with a knowing gleam in his eyes as if he, somehow, knew what Lelouch was thinking. However, if he did know, he didn't say anything about it.

"So I can return to Tokyo now?" he asked.

"Not just yet," Schneizel said. "General Andon just received word that a survivor of the Liberators' Eleven cell has roused the local terrorist group at Hirosaki and they've managed to land a crippling blow against the 4th Regiment stationed there, including killing hundreds of innocents. Major General Towers will be sending you a report of the situation soon enough."

Lelouch's lips tightened. _Do I ever get a break?_ He thought. "And I take it that I am to handle this matter," he said. It wasn't really a question so Schneizel didn't bother on answering; instead, he simply stood up.

"General Andon will be returning to Tokyo but I am confident you can handle the matter at Hirosaki easily enough," Schneizel said. "Your reputation, itself, may be enough to win against those terrorists, Demon Prince."

 **. . .**

 _September 28, 2016_

 _Aomori, Area 11_

"You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me," Rayne growled, glaring at the overcast sky and the light rain that fell. "I swear the weather hates me." The Black Knights had left Sapporo the day before, heading for Hirosaki in which they would have to deal with yet another incident. _The Liberators sure are stubborn,_ she thought, still glaring at the sky.

Kay chuckled softly at Rayne's reaction.

"It doesn't look like you're melting today either, though that's probably just 'cause you ain't in the rain, though you're pretty smoking for a witch," Tadashi joked.

"Haha," Rayne said, rolling her eyes and wrapping her arms around herself as breeze ruffled through the air. The pavilion under which they stood kept them dry. They were currently staying in Aomori to rest but would be heading out to Hirosaki the following day.

Diethard Ried was still with the Black Knights and Rayne had to admit, she was surprised that Lelouch was allowing the reporter to hang around for the time being. The blonde reporter was currently talking on the phone with his boss on the other end of the pavilion. Lelouch was also standing nearby, scanning a map of Hirosaki while talking quietly with Jeremiah.

"It's not even raining that much, Rayne," Lila said.

Rayne huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

"Parker's enjoying it," Kay commented, pointing and Rayne turned to find Parker with his head tilted backwards as he stood in the middle of the throng of soldiers just letting the rain fall on his face.

"He's crazy," Rayne said.

"Are ya sure you ain't the one that's crazy?" Tadashi asked and then doubled over when Rayne planted an elbow into his gut. "Ow!"

Lila rolled her eyes and looked around. "By the way, where's Dimitri?" she asked.

"Huh, now that I think about it, I haven't seen him all day," Rayne said and turned to her twin. "Kay?"

"Haven't seen him either," Kay said.

Suzaku walked across the rain-spattered road to join them beneath the pavilion, shivering. He was dressed in his white pilot suit. "Hey," he greeted them.

"Hey Suzaku, what brings you here?" Tadashi asked as he straightened.

"I have a message for His Highness from Earl Lloyd," Suzaku said simply.

"Well, he's over there figuring things out for the upcoming engagement, if there even is one," Rayne said.

"Why wouldn't there be?"

"They might be too scared of the Demon Prince to fight against him," Tadashi said with a grin.

Lila rolled her eyes again and then pressed her lips together in thought. "Tadashi actually has a good point. If they know about what happened at Sapporo, and discover that His Highness is the one who will be fighting against them, then I would not put it past the terrorist group to abandon that Liberator survivor to save their own skin," she said.

"Yeah, I agree. By the way, Suzaku, have you seen Dimitri?" Rayne asked.

"Yeah. He came into contact with an old friend of his about half an hour ago and they haven't stopped talking yet," Suzaku said, pointing to a balcony underneath which stood Dimitri with a pretty light-brown haired girl. They stood just out of the way that Rayne hadn't spotted him until Suzaku had pointed him out.

Suzaku walked past them and over to join Lelouch to give him whatever message Lloyd had for him.

"I'm looking forward to getting back to Tokyo," Tadashi said. "Though I wonder how long it's gonna take. I mean we stayed in Sapporo for quite a while."

"Who knows? Hopefully we'll..." Rayne began only to break off as a _very_ familiar voice sounded.

"Parker! It's so good to see you."

Rayne's eyes twitched and her hands clenched into fists while Kay looked to the ground. "Is that who I think it is?" she asked, grinding her teeth together. Even if she did have a much better relationship with Parker, after deciding to give him a second chance—something she still wished she'd given Gretchen—she still didn't care for her parents.

"It is," Kay said.

"Wonderful." Once again, the sarcasm was strong.

Forcing herself to turn to confirm her brother's words, she spotted them.

The first was a tall, willowy woman with long dark-blue hair and blue eyes who was holding Parker in her arms, smiling while a servant that stood next to her held an umbrella over her head. She was dressed in the elaborately expensive clothing that marked her as a noble. Next to her was a broad-shouldered blue-haired man with the same green eyes as Parker, also with an umbrella held over his head by a servant.

"Mother? Father? What are you doing in Area 11?" Parker said in surprise as he hugged his mother back.

"Visiting mostly," his mother, Rebecca (Becca) Frost, said.

"We decided to take a break from Pendragon for a bit and remembered that Branden had suggested we visit Aomori at around this time, before the snow season began, so we decide to come and visit," his father, Victor Frost, said.

"But why are you here, Parker?" Becca asked as she released her second eldest son.

"Didn't you see the news?" Parker asked. "I doubt it was just broadcast in Area 11."

"You mean the Battle of Sapporo?" Victor asked. "Yes, we saw that. You mean you were part of that battle?"

Parker nodded.

"Oh I am so proud of you," Becca exclaimed. "And Gretchen too! Where is she?"

Parker flinched and looked away. "I'm sorry, Mother, but...she didn't survive the battle," he said softly.

Becca's eyes went wide with shock and sadness. "Oh dear," she whispered. "Gretchen...she...she's..." She trailed off and her husband gently took her into her arms as she started sobbing.

"But I have good news," Parker said suddenly and waited for Becca to calm down before adding, "Rayne and Kayden are alive and well."

Becca blinked. "Them? They're part of the military?" she asked bewildered and then she shook her head. "I feel much sympathy for whichever poor commander ended up with them since they're so useless."'

Parker's eyes went wide while Rayne growled and Kay flinched, looking away.

"Dude, that is not cool," Tadashi muttered.

"You're not useless, Rayne, Kay," Lila said gently.

"How can you say that, Mother?" Parker said before Rayne could reply. "They're your kids too."

"Tch, we never wanted them," Victor said dismissively, "and they are nothing but trouble who will never amount to anything."

"Especially Rayne. It's only a matter of time before their commander sees them for the useless wretches that they are," Becca said.

Parker's eyes flashed. "Rayne was right about you," he said. "You really don't care about them. I had thought...I just thought she was being a rebellious teen but now..." He shook his head, disappointment and sadness in his eyes.

"Oh don't be like that, Parker," Becca said with a smile. "They aren't worth your time to worry about."

Victor nodded in agreement. "Perhaps it would have been better off if they'd died instead of Gretchen," he said.

That was like a sucker punch straight to the gut and Rayne jerked back, eyes wide while Kay's head shot up before tears filled his eyes.

Parker noticed them and turned toward them. "Rayne, Kay," he began.

Victor and Becca followed his gaze and Becca scoffed. "So those brats really have joined the military. The commander must be incredibly stupid to allow them to remain, since they are so useless, worthless, and stupid," she said scornfully.

Rayne's eyes flashed with rage but Kay gritted his teeth and then bolted.

"Kay!" Rayne shouted, whirling around as Kay vanished into the G1, tears streaming down his face.

"How could you?! I used to respect and look up to you but no more! You are no parents of mine!" Parker shouted, eyes flashing with rage.

"Parker, dear," Becca began, reaching out to touch Parker's arm.

"Don't you dare touch me," Parker hissed, jerking out of the way before he bolted toward the G1, disappearing into it behind Kay.

Rayne, deciding to let Parker handle Kay, whirled around to glare at her parents, storming out into the rain and over to join them. "You are the worst parents in the history of parents," she shouted. "You've never cared for us, not once. You always had the maids raise us and always saw us as worthless and useless. You never even gave us the chance to prove that we are not that way at all. It sickens me that people like you actually exist in this world." She knew that such people as her parents actually existed in the world; when she was younger, she hadn't thought her parents were like some of the parents that she saw on the news. As she grew older, she realized that they _were_ just like those parents on the news.

"You thought we wouldn't amount to anything but you were wrong," Rayne growled. "We were part of the battle against the Liberators to take back Sapporo. We helped win against them."

Becca snorted. "I find that highly unlikely," she said.

"And why the hell do you think that? You don't know us! You never even bothered on getting to know us, on allowing us to reach our full potential. All I ever was to you was a bride to give away and you didn't even bother on trying to find something for Kay for his future," Rayne shouted. "You bitch, you do not deserve to call yourself a mother. And you, you bastard"—she jammed a finger at Victor—"don't deserve to call yourself a father!"

"Do not take that tone with us, young lady," Victor growled.

"Do not start treating me like your kid when you never cared before," Rayne shouted back.

 _Smack!_

Rayne was knocked off her feet by the hard smack that her father had just delivered to her face, her eyes flaring with rage and her hand resting against her stinging cheek.

"I said do not take that tone with me, girl," Victor spat.

"Excuse me?" A soft, cool voice said before Rayne could respond and she, Victor, and Becca all looked to find Lelouch standing there, his cold amethyst eyes fixed on Victor and Becca.

Victor and Becca blinked and then immediately straightened, Becca doing a little curtsy. "Your Highness, I apologize for the disturbance," she began.

Lelouch completely ignored her as he moved over to join Rayne, holding out a hand to her. She took it and let him gently pull her to her feet. "Are you all right, Rayne?" he asked gently.

"Yeah, it just stung but I'm fine, Your Highness," Rayne said, rubbing her cheek as she released Lelouch's hand.

"Good. Go and check on your brother and you may go on leave for the rest of the day if you wish," Lelouch said.

"I'm fine, Your Highness, but thank you anyway," Rayne said.

Lelouch hummed in thought. "At least go and get changed, Rayne. The last thing I want is for a member of my Royal Guard to get sick, especially not when a battle is coming up," he said.

 _He did that on purpose._ Rayne was positive of it. He didn't need to mention that she was part of his Royal Guard, since everyone but Becca and Victor—she refused to call them her parents—already knew that but he had anyway. As it is, she could see the shocked look on Becca's and Victor's faces and had to resist the urge to smirk.

"Yes, Your Highness," she said with a bow before she turned and made her way toward the G1, deciding to check on her brother and then get changed.

Not only that but it would also give her some time to control her emotions. As the anger faded away, the sadness that Rayne always tried so hard to keep at bay whenever anything dealing with Becca and Victor came up was starting to rear its ugly little head.

 **. . .**

Lelouch watched Rayne go, sympathy welling up inside him. _I know how it feels to have a horrible parent and you're unlucky enough to have two,_ he thought.

"Why would you allow _her_ to be part of your Royal Guard? She's useless," Rebecca Frost blurted out.

Lelouch's face darkened and his eyes turned into amethyst icicles as he turned to regard Rebecca and Victor Frost. "Why?" he said. "There are many reasons why I allowed her to join my Royal Guard. She is an amazing fighter, especially in hand-to-hand combat. She is an above average knightmare pilot. And, most importantly, I trust her. I find it amazing that she and her brother actually ended up decent human beings with people like _you_ as their parents. It is despicable that such people as you actually exist in this world but, then, the world is not perfect. If it was, people like you"— _and the Emperor—_ " _wouldn't_ exist."

He shook his head in disappointment. "People like you are among the people that I dislike the most," he said.

"She's worthless and useless," Rebecca exclaimed.

"She is far more useful than you would think," Lelouch said flatly. "And she is someone that I trust with my life. If you refuse to see the value that both she and her brother have then that is your problem."

Without another word, Lelouch turned his back on the two nobles and called to the captain of his Royal Guard. "Please escort Lord and Lady Frost to their hotel or wherever it is they are staying," he said.

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah said as Lelouch walked away, heading straight for the G1 Base to check on both Rayne and Kay.

He found them and Parker Frost in the mess hall, Kay was laughing, looking better than he had when he'd bolted from the pavilion crying, while Parker was looking irritated as he sipped at a bottle of water and Rayne was grinning ear-to-ear. She was the first one to spot him and immediately stood up but Lelouch waved her down with his uninjured hand.

"You seem in better spirits now," he said as he walked over to join them. "Are you both okay?"

"We're fine...now," Rayne said. "Parker decided to tell us some of the incidents that he got into during basic training in order to cheer Kay up."

"It worked," Kay admitted with a small smile, though Lelouch could still see flickers of sadness in his eyes.

"Incidents during basic training? Rayne, did you tell him about the time you smacked one of your fellow recruits _twice_ and got away with it the first time?" Lelouch asked in amusement.

Parker choked on his water. "You. Did. _What?!_ " he exclaimed.

"You would've done the same exact thing had you had to deal with a male-version of Vivienne," Rayne huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

Parker blinked at her. "Was she really that bad?"

"She made Helen look normal."

Parker cringed. "That bad," he said.

"Boy am I glad that we didn't get stuck in the same regiment," Rayne added.

"Agreed, since you would have likely been court martialed before the incident at the Osaka Military Base," Kay mused.

"I have more self-control than that...I would have, at least, lasted until after we retook the city of Osaka," Rayne huffed.

"Just barely," Kay teased and then turned to Lelouch, rubbing his eyes, which were still slightly red from his earlier crying. "Was there something you needed, Your Highness?"

"No. I simply came to check up on you. We will be leaving for Hirosaki soon though."

"Okay."

 **. . .**

 _September 30, 2016_

 _Hirosaki Settlement, Area 11_

True to Tadashi's word, the instant that word had reached Hirosaki that the Demon Prince of Britannia was on his way to Hirosaki to destroy—Ried's word—the terrorists and the survivor of the Liberators' Eleven cell, they were quick to go to ground. And they even stabbed the Liberator in the back and practically presented him to the Mayor of Hirosaki gift-wrapped.

Suzaku wasn't entirely sure whether he should be happy that they wouldn't be getting involved in another battle or disturbed that the terrorists would sacrifice someone just to save their own skin. He settled on a mixture of the two and kept his feelings to himself.

He stood, along with the rest of Lelouch's Royal Guard—though he was honestly confused as to why he was asked to be there. He wasn't Lelouch's official Knight yet—just behind Lelouch who was studying the tied Liberator that the mayor, a man who went by his last name of Snows, had his bodyguards bring out. It was early morning, only about fifteen minutes after dawn, and Suzaku noticed that Tadashi and Rayne seemed almost half-asleep as they stood at attention nearby and Dimitri wasn't with them.

"So you found him on the doorstep of city hall like that?" Lelouch asked and, even though he sounded bored, Suzaku could detect a slight undercurrent of amused bewilderment.

"That is exactly how it happened, Your Highness," Snows said, wringing his hands together uncertainly.

"I see." Lelouch didn't sound like he bought Snows's explanation. "And he admitted that he was the one who led the attacks on the city?"

Snows nodded, his eyes flickering as he avoided Lelouch's gaze, swallowing nervously. "Yes, yes, that is quite right," he said.

"I find it really interesting," Lelouch commented casually, "that a Liberator would be so willing to talk when it took us a few months to get the Liberator we captured to talk."

"Ah, we have our ways," Snows said.

"Indeed. Perhaps you can give some pointers to Margrave Gottwald as it appears he may be rusty compared to your brilliant interrogators," Lelouch drawled and Suzaku could feel the sarcasm dripping from his voice. He didn't understand what was going on but he did notice something the longer the mayor spoke; he had an accent. It was very slight but the more he talked, the more Suzaku could hear it.

Jeremiah looked offended at that and scowled at Snows who took a nervous step backwards but then stopped when he realized what he was doing and straightened.

"So what else did he have to say?" Lelouch asked, still sounding bored out of his mind.

"Oh, uh, we spoke a lot and he said that he was planning on luring you to Hirosaki so that he could wipe out your regiment with the terrorists he'd found, Your Highness, and then kill you like was supposed to happen at Sapporo," Snows said.

Lelouch hummed. "I find it highly intriguing," he said, "that the leader of the Liberators would change his mind about what he wanted to do with me as suddenly as he has."

Snows paled. "Ah, what do you mean, Your Highness?" he said, speaking so quickly and so nervously that his accent became even more pronounced.

"We intercepted a message stating that Unity, whom I suspect is either associated with the leaders of the Liberators or is a leader himself, wants me alive," Lelouch said and Suzaku watched as Snows's face paled even more. "I suppose this Liberator didn't get that message during the battle. According to Major Duncan, it was only passed on to the leaders of three of the four flanks that attacked us after all."

"Ah, yea, I...I'm sure that's it," Snows said, starting to marginally calm down, at least until Lelouch spoke again.

"You have a rather interesting accent, Mayor Snows," Lelouch commented nonchalantly. "French, by the sounds of it. Did you spend a lot of time in the EU?"

Snows paled again, his eyes flickering to the bound Liberator that was crouched next to him, to the guards that stood in a semicircle around him, to Lelouch, and his Royal Guard that stood across from him. He even occasionally looked at the citizens that had started to leave their homes and were heading for their jobs or school. Suzaku wondered if they felt comfortable knowing the Black Knights and Lelouch were there. "Ah, yeah, I spent quite a bit of time there," he blurted out nervously.

"Is that so? Which city did you visit?"

"Olkhon," Snows said very quickly.

Lelouch's lips curved into a faint smile. "Olkhon is an island in the Europia United, Snows, not a city," he pointed out calmly.

Snows began to sweat and he tugged at his collar. "Ah, well, that's 'cause I spent a lot of my time on the Island of Olkhon," he said.

"Is that so?" Lelouch said, still studying Snows who was avoiding his look and kept looking at the Royal Guard, at his own men, at the man that was tied and gagged next to him, but not meeting Lelouch's gaze anymore.

"Yes, that is so," Snows said. "So should we simply hand the terrorist over to you?"

Lelouch hummed in agreement. "Jeremiah, please remove the gag on that terrorist. I would like to speak to him and it would do no good if he cannot respond to my questions," he said.

"Ah, that won't be necessary, Your Highness. We've already gotten all the information that's needed out of him. It's all in the report that's being compiled for you," Snows said quickly.

Lelouch ignored that as he gestured with his good hand to Jeremiah who inclined his head and walked over to join the bound man and removed the gag from around his mouth. He then yanked the bound man to his feet as Lelouch faced him.

" _I didn't do nothing!_ " The man exclaimed in the banned Japanese language. " _He's...He's lying! I'm an Eleven, well, half-Eleven, half-French but still. I ain't no terrorist. He's the real terrorist!_ "

" _Calm yourself,_ " Lelouch said calmly, easily slipping into Japanese, as Snows blinked in confusion, clearly unable to understand what was being said. As it was, no one else, except Suzaku and Tadashi could understand them. " _I believe you. Explain what has happened here, in your own words._ "

" _Snows arrived and immediately began speaking to a friend of mine. He was the leader of a terrorist group here in Hirosaki, which I found out when Snows sought him out. Snows told him that he was a survivor from the Battle of Sapporo and was seeking to strike back at Britannia for what happened to the Liberators there. He never told my friend that you were the one that was going to come after him and his group, otherwise I'm sure my friend wouldn't have sided with Snows. As it is, when word reached us that the Demon Prince was coming here, my friend was quick to cut ties with Snows. Unfortunately, his men were not and decided to follow Snows after he killed my friend and stormed City Hall, killed the mayor, and captured me. I work at City Hall, you see, and he decided to use me as a scapegoat to draw you in. He was planning on attacking you with his men the instant your back was turned when you left with me. Please, Your Highness, I ain't got nothing to do with this! Have mercy!_ "

" _Calm down,_ " Lelouch said again. " _I am not about to harm someone who is innocent. Demon Prince though I may be, there is a line that I try not to cross._ Jeremiah, please release him." He switched back to Britannian in those last words.

"Your Highness?" Jeremiah said in confusion.

"He is innocent," Lelouch said simply.

"Whatever he told you, he's obviously lying," Snows exclaimed.

"Mayor Snows, I am entitled to believe him because he actually had the courage to look me straight in the eye, even though I held his life in my hands. It is quite easy to tell when someone is lying if you are good at reading someone's body language as well as their eyes, or if they are just really bad liars."

Snows's lips twisted but he eyed the Royal Guard that stood in a semicircle around Lelouch warily. He gritted his teeth. "So are you accusing me of lying?" he demanded.

"Are you?" Lelouch asked blandly. Without waiting for Snows to reply, he turned to the newly released half-blood and added, in Japanese, " _You are free to go, young man. My condolences on the loss of your friend._ "

" _He knew what he was getting into when he formed his terrorist group but I thank you anyway, Your Highness. For being known by everyone as the Demon Prince, you ain't so bad,_ " the young man said as he rubbed his wrists and then he gave a slight bow and bolted in the opposite direction.

"I can't believe you would let a terrorist go," Snows shouted.

"I'm not," Lelouch said, switching back to Britannian as he turned to face Snows, his face cold as ice. "You are under arrest for conspiracy against Britannia, terrorism, the murder of the real mayor of Hirosaki, the near destruction of the 4th Regiment, and the deaths of two hundred and fifty two of Hirosaki's citizens."

Snows's eyes flickered with surprise. "Y...You don't...I didn't do any of that," he shouted.

"Is that so? I have evidence that proves otherwise," Lelouch said, which caused Suzaku to blink, wondering when that happened.

"What evidence?" Snows growled flustered.

"Surveillance footage of the assassination of the true mayor as well as the destruction of the administrative building which those innocent citizens were unfortunate enough to be in," Lelouch said. "Plus eyewitness reports from Major General Towers and the surviving members of the 4th Regiment."

 _Surveillance footage?_ Suzaku put two and two together and thought, _So that's why Dimitri isn't here._

Snows growled in fury. "If you really think that you can arrest me, you have another thing coming!" He shouted, yanking something out of his pocket and threw it at them. Suzaku darted forward, tackling Lelouch out of the way and shielding him with his own body while Jeremiah and the rest of the Royal Guard scattered as the grenade went off. Debris from the shattered street flew in all directions, striking Suzaku's back. Thankfully, he was wearing a kevlar vest underneath his uniform so he wasn't seriously hurt but his ears were ringing.

He turned his attention to Lelouch who had a pained grimace on his face but, otherwise, seemed all right. "Are you okay?" he asked or, more or less, shouted since he was having a hard time hearing anything above the ringing.

"I'm fine," Lelouch replied, his voice was a bit garbled from the ringing but, at the very least, the ringing was starting to go away. It was certainly enough for him to hear the panicked shouts of the citizens who were, unfortunately, close enough to hear or, possibly, see the explosion. Suzaku scrambled off his prince before helping him up. "Is anyone injured?"

"Aside from a few scrapes and bruises from the debris, no, Your Highness. We got out of the way just in time," Jeremiah said from where he was helping Rayne to her feet.

"Did you see where they went?" Lelouch asked as he scanned the area, looking for any sign of where Snows and the others with him had gone.

"No, Your Highness."

Lelouch pressed his lips together. "Jeremiah, search the western quadrant. Rayne, Kay, I want you two to head north, Lila, Tadashi, go to the south. When you find them, do not engage and contact me immediately," he said firmly.

"We should call in the rest of the regiment, Your Highness," Jeremiah insisted.

"At the moment, that would be counterproductive. If we enter with the entire regiment, we will incite even more panic and the terrorists can use that panic to escape," Lelouch said and turned to face the citizens. "Vacate the area immediately and return to your homes now."

The citizens hesitated but, apparently, they decided that it would be safer if they did as they were told because they quickly left the scene.

"Go on," Lelouch said, turning to the rest of his Royal Guard. "I will remain here and get into contact with Dimitri. He may be able to locate the terrorists himself."

"Are you sure?" Tadashi asked. "I don't really feel right leaving ya alone like this."

"Is Suzaku suddenly chopped liver or something?" Lelouch asked, raising an eyebrow. "I will be fine. You have your orders."

It was clear that his Royal Guard didn't agree with him, and Jeremiah was giving Suzaku a look that suggested that if Suzaku let anything happen to Lelouch, he should start digging his own grave. However, they did as they were told, bowing and heading off in the directions that Lelouch had indicated.

Once they were gone, Suzaku turned to his friend. "I've gotta agree with Tadashi, Lelouch," he said quietly, even though they were the only ones in the destroyed courtyard. "What are you thinking?"

"Relax, Suzaku, you know better than anyone that I never do anything without a reason," Lelouch said simply.

 _Yeah but just what_ is _your reason?_ Suzaku thought.

Some time passed by during which Suzaku was keeping an eye on the area for any sign of anyone who would attack Lelouch—they were both, uncomfortably, in a prime location for an assassination attempt—while Lelouch listened to the Royal Guard report their results, or lack thereof in some cases, of their search for the terrorists.

After learning that Rayne and Kay had taken out the fourth terrorist that had accompanied Snows who had resisted arrest, Lelouch said, "Good work. Keep looking for Snows." He lowered the communicator as Rayne responded with a " _Yes, Your Highness._ " "Looks as if Snows is the only one they haven't found yet."

"Does this mean he got out of the city?" Suzaku asked.

"Possibly. Since that grenade prevented us from seeing which way he'd run, it's possible that he headed for the quickest route out of the city," Lelouch said. Since Rayne and Kay, Jeremiah, and Lila and Tadashi had found terrorists in three different directions, Lelouch figured that they had all run in different directions, except east, though that was only because they would have run into Lelouch's regiment if they had.

"Which one's that?" Suzaku asked.

"Not entirely sure." Lelouch put his communicator to his lips and activated it. "Dimitri, I need you to find the quickest route out of the city."

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Dimitri said and, a couple of minutes later, added, " _The only route that I see that is pretty quick is an alley near your current location. It's an unguarded alley to the south of City Hall that leads into the warehouse district, which was abandoned when the attack occurred._ "

"Thank you, Dimitri. Contact Lila and give her directions to that route," Lelouch said.

" _Yes, Your Highness._ "

Lelouch lowered the communicator and Suzaku, who was still looking around, glanced at him.

"Do you really think Snows would use that route to get away?" he asked.

"He could have attacked after throwing that grenade but, instead, took off running," Lelouch said. "It is very likely that he will try to use the quickest route to escape. However, if that's the case then I doubt Lila and Tadashi will arrive in time but there's still a chance that they will."

Suzaku nodded and started scanning the area again and Lelouch, glancing at him, smiled a bit. "I'm pretty sure you've scanned the area at least twenty times since everyone left," he said.

Suzaku flushed a little. "I'm just being cautious," he said a bit defensively.

"I never said you weren't, Suzaku."

Suzaku was about to say something else when he spotted something out of the corner of his eyes and he quickly grabbed Lelouch, yanking him out of the way just as a bullet shot where he had been moments before. Lelouch fell to the ground, hissing in pain when he bumped his broken arm, while Suzaku darted toward the person who'd taken the shot, leaping into the air and slamming a spinkick into the face of the assassin, throwing him off his feet. Only a few seconds later, he had the assassin pinned to the ground.

He recognized the man as Snows. _So he didn't try to escape?_ He thought in confusion.

"Get off me, traitor," Snows spat, glaring at Suzaku as he slammed a fist into Suzaku's side and flipped their positions, his hands wrapping around the Honorary Britannian's throat. He gritted his teeth as he attempted to knee the man but the man twisted out of the way, tightening his grip as he did so.

"Your father would be so ashamed of you serving the country that destroyed yours," Snows said coolly. He leaned forward and whispered, "I also know what you did."

Suzaku's eyes flickered with surprise. _That's not possible. No one knows what I did. It was just me and my father. He couldn't know. He's lying,_ he thought frantically.

"I may not have seen you do it," Snows whispered viciously, "but I know Genbu Kururugi did not commit suicide. I knew the man. He was much too prideful to roll over and let Britannia do what they wanted. That was why he was going to call that do-or-die resistance to begin with. He didn't commit suicide. He was murdered. However, he was the Prime Minister. No one could get close enough to him in order to kill him, no one except _one person._ "

Suzaku, struggling to breath as the Liberator tightened his grip, clawed at the hands wrapped around his throat but the Liberator wasn't budging. He was still in shock that Snows had, somehow, figured it out. _But how? Even if he had lived in Area 11 at the time, how did he know my father as well as he claims to have? And he's right! Father really was too prideful to just let Britannia do what they wanted but how did he know?!_

Snows chuckled, tightening his grip again and Suzaku felt his vision swim in front of his eyes. "I bet you're wondering how I knew your father without you knowing," he said. "It's simple. I'm a half-blood. My mother is Japanese. My mother worked as your father's secretary and, back then, I wanted to follow in her footsteps so I shadowed her a lot."

 _That explains how he knew Father,_ Suzaku thought and felt Snows tighten his grip on his throat. He bit his lip. _Am I going to die?_

It wasn't as if Suzaku wasn't prepared to die. He knew that, by joining the military, there was no guarantee that he would live to see the next day. That was actually why he'd joined; he needed to atone after all. And yet he didn't want to die without doing _something_ to help his people, even if they hated him for it.

A _crack_ sounded and the pressure on Suzaku's throat eased. Gasping out some much needed gulps of air, he ripped the hands from around his throat, noting that Snows had just been shot straight through the chest. His blood was leaking onto Suzaku's uniform and his eyes were closed, his body limp.

"Suzaku?" Lelouch asked as Suzaku, scrambling out from underneath the dead man and still taking deep breaths and coughing, looked up to find the prince moving quickly to his side, attempting to use one hand to holster his gun, his eyes flickering toward the dead man, a dark look on his face. It cleared up as he returned his attention to Suzaku, holding out his free hand and, when Suzaku didn't take it, grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet.

"I...I'm all right," Suzaku managed to get out but his voice sounded hoarse to his own ears.

Lelouch gave him a disbelieving look, one of his eyebrows raised but he said nothing. "I'd better inform the rest of my Royal Guard that we found Snows," he said and, releasing Suzaku's arm and pulling out his communicator to contact the rest of the Royal Guard. As he did so, Suzaku found his gaze fixating on the Liberator that had just tried to kill him, the only one outside of the members of the Six Houses of Kyoto who knew what _really_ happened to Genbu Kururugi.

Lelouch's Royal Guard returned a few minutes later and Rayne's eyes went wide when she caught sight of Suzaku.

"Your Highness, what happened?" Jeremiah asked.

"Suzaku, what the hell happened to you?" Rayne exclaimed at the exact same time.

"Snows tried to kill me and Suzaku stopped him so Snows turned around and attempted to kill him so I stopped him," Lelouch said simply. "Let's return to the regiment. Suzaku needs some medical attention and I want you to organize a squad to do another sweep of the city. It's better to be safe rather than sorry right now."

"Understood, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

 **. . .**

 _Lelouch's Office, G1 Base, Outskirts of Hirosaki_

Lelouch was scanning through a couple of reports he'd just received from Mayor Livingston in Akita. Since they would have to pass through Akita in order to get home, Lelouch had decided to ensure that nothing was happening there. While they had avoided a battle here in Hirosaki, Lelouch knew that there were more survivors of the Battle of Sapporo and he doubted that they had remained on Hokkaido so they could have either headed for the Chinese Federation or they had gone to the main island. Snows was proof that some, or one at the moment, had gone to the main island.

There was a knock on the door and Lelouch looked up. "Come in," he called and the door opened and Lila stepped into the office. "Lila, what can I do for you?"

"I apologize for bothering you, Your Highness," Lila said. "But I was wondering, we're going to Akita next, aren't we?"

"Yes, that's correct. Why do you ask?"

"When we reach Akita, may I go on leave for a few hours?" Lila asked. "I would like to visit my parents. I just called them and they told me that they're visiting Akita so I thought I'd visit them."

"That's fine, Lila. Just keep your communicator on you just in case I need to have you return early," Lelouch said.

"Yes, Your Highness, and thank you," Lila said and, with a bow, she left the office.

Lelouch returned his attention to the reports, thankful that there didn't seem to be anything going on in Akita. He was only going there because the mayor of Akita had wanted him to since he had a terrorist group that was posing trouble and wanted the Demon Prince and his Black Knights to take care of the problem.

And since he was in charge of eradicating the terrorist threat in Area 11, he had no choice but to go there. He really hoped that the matter would be handled as swiftly as Hirosaki had been.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: and so that was chapter 27 and I hope that you like it**

 **Bakura: whatever**

 **Blaze: who asked you?**

 **Lelouch: (walks into room) Blaze?**

 **Blaze: yes?**

 **Lelouch: you do know that Luciano is _still_ falling, right?**

 **Luciano: (still falling) _WHAT THE HELL?_**

 **Suzaku: he's been falling for over twenty-two days**

 **Blaze: and your point is…?**

 **Suzaku: um, is he ever going to stop falling?**

 **Blaze: maybe**

 **Bakura: and by maybe, she means doubtful**

 **Lelouch: by the way, you never did answer my question from the last chapter. What is going to happen in chapter 30?**

 **Blaze: Suzaku, end the chapter! (Bolts)**

 **Lelouch: damn it! Get back here and answer me already! (Bolts after Blaze)**

 **Suzaku: (sighs) Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter and the next chapter may be up in the first week of June sometime but she makes no promises since she is working and she may not have time to update because of that. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated and thank you all for reading!**


	28. The Knighting Ceremony

**In honor of the one year anniversary of this story** **(well, okay, a day late. The edits took me past midnight so, yeah, a day late),** **I have decided to post this chapter. While it's called "The Knighting Ceremony", it doesn't just focus on that (and, frankly, the ceremony only takes up maybe a few pages). Also, for the ceremony, I based it, somewhat, on what is heard from Euphie's knighting of Suzaku in canon as well as online research so it might not sound right but I tried my best.**

 **Also, I plan on making some edits to the previous chapter. None of them are that serious but they will help to make the Frost twins' parents more realistic.**

 **And, also, about Lelouch's reputation. The way people view him is based, entirely, on the media's portrayal of him and Diethard exaggerated for a good story while, at the same time, establishing a reputation for Lelouch that he hasn't earned yet. He will later but, right now,** _ **the media**_ **has him as a demon because it makes for a good story, and we all know Diethard wants to** _ **document**_ **a good story.**

 **Bakura: are you done ranting, moron? If people don't like what happened, who the hell gives a damn?**

 **Shut up, Bakura. Anyway, thank you to** _ **RandomUserGirl, harlequin320, agarfinkel, OBSERVER01, DYnoJackal19, Scarease, Adamantium-Soldier74, Shadow-Shinobi666, Doommajor, Grimraven.V, TC9078, B-Kira,anand891996,**_ **and** _ **Shimmering-Sky**_ **for reviewing the last chapter.**

 **And, though your entire review was simply suggestions on what to do (none of which are feasible because of the direction my story has taken) and not your actual thoughts on the story, I suppose I should give a shoutout to** _ **agarfinkel**_ **, since they had been my 400** **th** **reviewer.**

 **I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 _October 1, 2016_

 _Parkside Hotel, Akita, Area 11_

 _After arriving in Akita and after being given a few hours of leave, though Lila couldn't stay longer if she wanted to because of the problem that the terrorists had created when they attacked a baseball stadium near the coast on the eastern end of Akita, she was quick to make her way to the hotel where her parents were staying. Arriving and wiping the sweat from her forehead, she walked into the hotel and over to the receptionist._

 _"Excuse me?" she said._

 _The blonde receptionist looked up from where she was doodling on a piece of paper and quickly shoved it aside. "What can I do for you?" she asked._

 _"I'm looking for Lucy and Caleb Moore's room," Lila said._

 _"Let's see." The blonde looked through her computer before turning her attention back to Lila. "They're in room 345."_

 _"Thank you," Lila said and headed for the elevator, riding it to the third floor and heading down the hall to her parents' room. Knocking on the door, she stepped back and waited for the door to open._

 _Lucy opened the door and her eyes went wide. "Lila!" She cried and immediately pulled Lila into a bear hug. "I knew you would see reason soon enough. I knew it."_

 _"I'm not here...because I left...the military, Mother," Lila said, her voice muffled as she gave her mother a quick hug back and stepped back, noticing the disappointed frown on her mother's face. "When you told me that you were in Akita, I decided to come and visit you. Prince Lelouch agreed to let me have a few hours leave before we begin our campaign on the east side of Akita. Is Father here?" she asked._

 _"I'm here, sweetie," Caleb said as he made his way to his wife's side, his wet hair plastered against his head suggesting that he'd just gotten out of the shower. He drew Lila into a hug and she hugged him back._

 _"Happy birthday, Father," she said, stepping back and giving him a small smile. "I would have gotten you something but I just didn't have the time so I made you this instead." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded-up card and held it out to her father._

 _Caleb took it and read it, a small smile on his face. "Thank you," he said. "So what brings you to Akita, sweetie?"_

 _"Work," Lila said simply._

 _"The terrorist attack that occurred in the east? Mayor Livingston had just ordered everyone to remain indoors while the matter was handled. I'm surprise you were given leave all things considered," Caleb admitted._

 _"It's because the terrorists have gone to ground so there's really nothing Prince Lelouch can do at the moment," Lila admitted. "But I have to get back soon. He gave me a few hours but I'm a member of his Royal Guard. I should remain with him."_

 _"You're a member of a prince's Royal Guard? Congratulations, Lila," Caleb said with a smile and turned to Lucy. "Don't you think that's a wonderful achievement, dear?"_

 _"It's certainly safer," Lucy said, "and, while I still don't like that you're part of the military, that is a wonderful achievement of yours. Congratulations, dear." She still sounded sad and Lila knew that she still hated that Lila was part of the military._

 _"It's not that bad, Mother," she said. "Besides, I've actually decided on going to college and medical school as soon as my term in the military is over."_

 _"I thought you didn't want to be a doctor," Caleb said in confusion._

 _"I don't want to be a doctor in the hospital," Lila said. "I've decided that I want to remain in the military and be a field medic."_

 _"But you're a member of a prince's Royal Guard, are you sure you can do that?" Lucy asked confused._

 _"I plan on discussing it with Prince Lelouch the closer we get to that time," Lila said. "I'm sorry that I can't stay longer but I really should head back. I'll call you after the battle, okay?"_

 _"All right, Lila," Caleb said and hugged her again. "I love you."_

 _"I love you too, Father," Lila said, hugging her father back and then turning to her mother who drew her into another bear hug._

 _"Stay safe, Lila," she whispered. "I love you."_

 _"I love you too, Mother."_

 **. . .**

 **28**

 **The Knighting Ceremony**

 _October 5, 2016_

 _Akita, Area 11_

Lila shivered, brushing aside wet strands of blonde hair out of her face before putting the binoculars back to her eyes, scanning the baseball field that lay across from her. Four days had gone by since they'd arrived in Akita and the terrorists had finally made their move, gathering a large score of citizens living around the baseball field they'd attacked and dragging them into the field to use as hostages. They'd already made their demands; they wanted Mayor Livingston to step down and they wanted Lelouch, himself, to turn himself over to them.

Neither of whom were willing to give in to their demands, though Lelouch was less vocal about it. Frankly, Lila wasn't expecting the prince to give in to the terrorists demands. But those decisions had led to Lila's current position on top of the roof of a building across the street from the baseball stadium with Tadashi; there was a squad of the Black Knights' best marksmen in the building she was on the roof of. She and the burnt-orange-haired Honorary Britannian were tasked with scouting out the area and seeing if it would be possible to take out the terrorists from their vantage point.

So far, it was looking like it wouldn't be possible.

"It's cold," Tadashi muttered, lowering the binoculars he was looking through and wiping the rain that was falling into his eyes away.

"It could be worse," Lila said. "It could be snowing."

"Oh God, that would suck big time," Tadashi groaned.

Lila gave a little giggle. She mused that she had really come a long way since basic training. Back then, she wouldn't have even thought about doing anything but follow her orders and would get irritated with anyone who didn't act professional—such as Tadashi when she first met him and Vivienne. She briefly wondered whatever happened to Vivienne anyway—but, now, she didn't do that as often. She supposed she'd gotten comfortable with her friends and had come to understand that she did need to lighten up every now and then.

"I feel sorry for Rayne," she admitted, returning her attention to the baseball park. "She's stuck in the park, acting like a normal citizen."

"A normal citizen, right," Tadashi said in amusement, one hand going to the communicator and his binoculars fixed on the park below where Rayne and Kay were stationed, tasked with drawing the attention of the terrorists. There were Black Knights stationed all over the place but not as many in the park. "Rayne, don't ya think ya should be focused on your part of the mission and not on the pack of dogs that just entered the park?"

" _Hey, I can't help it. They're so cute!_ " Rayne's voice exclaimed over the channel.

Lila rolled her eyes, an amused smile on her face. "Well, at least it's distracting her from the rain," she said.

" _You're going to smell like wet dog for the rest of the day,_ " Kay said dryly.

" _Way to kill the mood, bro, like really,_ " Rayne huffed.

" _You two need to focus,_ " Dimitri's voice cut into the channel. " _If His Highness is correct then the terrorists are going to try and get more hostages soon. That park..._ "

" _We know, we know. Prince Lelouch has already explained everything to us and so did Jeremiah,_ " Rayne said with a sigh. " _Besides, we're supposed to blend in and..._ " Whatever else she was about to say was cut off by a yelp of surprise followed by a splash and the hysterical laughter of her twin brother. Tadashi had to put down his binoculars to stop himself from accidentally dropping them over the side of the building as he doubled over also in hysterical laughter.

" _Stop laughing, you jerk, and get this big dog off me!_ " Rayne cried.

Lila found herself giggling alongside Tadashi and looked through her binoculars at the park. Her giggling turned into hysterical laughter when she saw Rayne pinned by a giant black and brown dog who was happily giving her a bath even though she was already soaked through since she'd landed in a puddle and because of the rain.

"Oh God! Someone take a picture, please," Tadashi managed to get out before he started laughing again.

Lila was too busy laughing herself to be able to respond. She was able to keep a hold of her binoculars but when she saw Kay suddenly fall to the ground, laughing and clutching at his side, and then saw the reason for that reaction—Rayne getting practically buried by three more medium-sized dogs who all decided to come and help the big dog give Rayne a bath—she lost it again. She dropped her binoculars, howling with laughter and clutching at her side as tears of amusement fell from her eyes.

" _Damn you, you jerk! Get. These. Dogs. Off. Me!_ " Rayne cried as Lila finally managed to control her laughter, somewhat, and picked up her binoculars. She turned them back on the park in time to see Rayne try to escape the mass of fluffy dogs that were happily licking her.

" _What's going on?_ " Lelouch's voice asked over the channel.

Lila's laughter had died down into giggles by this point and she wiped the tears of amusement that were in still in her eyes. Tadashi was gasping, struggling to breath while still snickering himself. Kay was still on the ground, gasping and struggling to stop laughing while Rayne had finally managed to get free from the dogs and was cursing up a storm.

"Sorry Your Highness, we just..." Lila giggled again.

"Something funny happened," Tadashi managed to get out, gasping and snickering.

" _It wasn't funny!_ " Rayne shouted.

" _Yes...haha...it was,_ " Kay managed to get out.

" _...Jerk,_ " Rayne growled and Lila watched as she stalked over to a bench and sat down with a huff.

The big dog that had pinned her down earlier followed her, jumped onto the bench and proceeded to drape its body over her lap, pinning her to the bench.

" _Oh come on!_ " Rayne exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration as Kay, Tadashi, and Lila burst into another round of laughter. " _All of you are jerks!_ "

"... _Will someone please tell me what happened?_ " Lelouch asked, half-frustrated and half-bewildered.

" _I'll show you the pictures I took later, Your Highness,_ " Suzaku's voice sounded across the channel followed by quiet, hoarse giggling. It was obvious Suzaku was still recovering from what happened to him at Hirosaki.

"Awesome! Someone got pictures!" Tadashi said with a grin, his eyes still shining with laughter.

" _What?! Suzaku!_ " Rayne cried.

" _I'm sorry, Rayne, but I figured His Highness would like a good laugh,_ " Suzaku said apologetically.

"Where did you even get a camera?" Lila asked, still giggling a little.

" _I bought it. I'm supposed to be blending in, you know, and I've actually never been to Akita before so I decided to get a camera and get some pictures of it._ "

"Dude, I have to have a copy of the ones you got of Rayne," Tadashi said.

" _Me too,_ " Kay said.

"I would like a set as well," Lila said.

" _And we should probably make a set for Dimitri. I think he'll get a kick out of 'em_ ," Kay said.

" _You guys suck!_ " Rayne whined.

"... _Now I am very curious about what happened. Suzaku, make sure I get a copy too,_ " Lelouch said.

" _Sure thing,_ " Suzaku said.

" _Not you too,_ " Rayne complained and Lila was just able to make out the pout on her lips. She did manage to push that big dog off her lap though and stand up, brushing dog fur off her soaked uniform.

The rain turned into a drizzle and Lila looked up as the clouds started to slowly drift away from the sky, allowing rays of sunlight to stream onto the city. Everyone else seemed to have noticed as well and Kay said, " _Look on the bright side, at least it's not raining anymore._ "

He had to dodge quickly to avoid the large rock that Rayne chugged in his direction.

 **. . .**

Suzaku tucked the camera into the pocket of the jacket that he was wearing and let the hood fall onto his back, a small amused smile still on his lips as he gazed across the street at the park. The dogs from earlier had been picked up by their owner, with said owner apologizing to Rayne for their over-enthusiastic dogs. Kay, Tadashi, and Lila had finally managed to control their laughter, though Suzaku was sure that it would only start up again when they saw the pictures.

When he'd been told that he was supposed to go into the city and pretend to be a regular citizen who was just enjoying the sights, he'd decided to get a camera and get some pictures of the city. It would help with the look, for one, and he wasn't lying when he said he'd never been to Akita before, for another. His parents had wanted to vacation in Akita around the time the invasion started; because of that, they never got the chance,

Thinking about his parents brought to mind what Snows had told him at Hirosaki a few days ago and Suzaku's hand, self-consciously, went to the bruises around his neck. There was no denying that Snows's words had hit him hard because they were all true; he knew the truth, he knew of what had happened to Genbu Kururugi, and had wanted to make Suzaku pay for that.

He'd tried to kill Suzaku and yet that wasn't what haunted Suzaku's nightmares in the days that followed. He did believe that he deserved death for what he did to his father. What really haunted his nightmares were Snows's words.

 _Your father would be ashamed…_

Suzaku gritted his teeth and pushed those thoughts away as he walked back to the store, deciding he may as well drop off the camera so that he could pick the pictures up after the upcoming engagement. The next one wouldn't really involve knightmares, though they were all still on standby just in case. However, if things went as Lelouch thought they would then they wouldn't be needed.

Lloyd was still unhappy about that.

Still, that meant that there was a chance of less violence and less destruction and that meant the chance of less death. Suzaku was hoping that they would be able to get the citizens out of there alive and unharmed.

He slipped into the store and walked over to the desk, causing the nice clerk to look up in surprise. "You used them all up already?" she asked curiously as she took the camera.

"Yeah, I've never been to Akita before," Suzaku admitted.

The clerk nodded. "These should be ready in a few hours. I suggest that you come back around two. They should..." She broke off as the sound of bullets being fired sounded outside followed by screams of panic and shouts.

Suzaku's lips thinned. "Thank you," he said politely and turned around, darting for the door as he turned his earphone back on and peered out of the door, watching as a large group of Britannians, Kay and Rayne among them, were herded toward the baseball field by armed terrorists.

"They've taken the bait, Your Highness," he said softly.

" _Good. Jeremiah, move in discreetly. Suzaku, return to base. Jeremiah will handle things from here and if things go wrong, we're going to need the_ Lancelot," Lelouch said.

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Jeremiah stated firmly.

"I understand, Your Highness," Suzaku replied and darted out the door and down the sidewalk, heading toward the building Mayor Livingston had given the Black Knights as their temporary base for the purpose of the current mission.

 **. . .**

Jeremiah darted as subtly as possible after the large group of terrified citizens and the terrorists that surrounded them, gesturing toward Kewell, Villetta, and the rest of the Purist Faction. The purists' task was to try to sneak into the baseball field while the terrorists were distracted by herding all the new hostages into the field. As it was, there were only two guards on either side of the entrance to the field; they stood aside when the hostages were escorted past them followed by the other terrorists.

"Two enemies, Your Highness," he murmured into the communicator, "at the entrance. The others have disappeared inside. It doesn't look like there are other guards."

" _We can't see any more guards from our position either, Your Highness,_ " Lieutenant Moore said.

" _Can you get a clear shot at the guards, Lieutenant Moore?_ " Prince Lelouch asked.

" _Hold on a moment. Private Akiyama and I are going to try and get closer."_ There was the sound of shuffling on the other end and a few minutes passed by before Moore's voice came back. " _Okay, it looks like we have a clearer shot here._ "

" _Can you and Private Akiyama make the shots?_ " Prince Lelouch asked.

" _Yes, I'm confident that we can,_ " Moore said.

" _Then do so. Jeremiah, you know your orders,_ " Prince Lelouch said firmly.

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah stated firmly and edged closer to the baseball field's entrance as the two guards suddenly stiffened and fell over, bullet wounds straight through their foreheads.

"Nice shooting. I forgot how good of a sniper Lieutenant Moore and Private Akiyama were," Villetta commented quietly.

Jeremiah knew that was only because they've rarely had witnesses to their sniping abilities; the last time that they'd used them had been during the chaos that was the three parts of the Battle of Sapporo.

"They are rather good. C'mon, let's get moving. We've got some terrorists to take out," Jeremiah said, pulling out his gun from its holster and darting through the entrance. Villetta, Kewell, and the rest of the purist faction quickly darted after them.

They were nearing the entrance to the field itself when Jeremiah spotted someone walking down a side hallway, heading toward them. He gestured to Villetta, Kewell, and the other purists and they stopped before pressing against the wall as the enemy neared closer.

Jeremiah glanced over his shoulder and nodded once. Kewell, making sure the silencer was attached to his gun, raised it and fired a single shot that slammed into the head of the enemy. As the enemy slumped forward, Villetta shot forward and caught him before he could hit the ground, preserving the silence.

Lowering the enemy quietly to the ground, she nodded and the purists took off again down the hallway. They neared the entrance to the field and Jeremiah crouched down, pressing his lips together as he gazed at the large group of hostages that were seated around home plate, the Frost twins among them, while the terrorists roamed the area. He quickly counted them and held up his free hand twice to the rest of the purists who nodded: ten enemies.

They were outnumbered but only slightly. However, Jeremiah knew he had to be careful because the terrorists could easily turn their guns on the hostages, and Major Frost and Lieutenant Frost, and Prince Lelouch would not be happy if he not only lost two members of his Royal Guard but also a score of innocent civilians as well.

It still surprised and faintly amused Jeremiah that his prince would gain the moniker of 'Demon Prince' when he knew that Prince Lelouch was not the demon the media painted him as. However, the media only had what happened at Sapporo, and only one perspective of Sapporo at that, to go on when deciding what Prince Lelouch was like. Jeremiah had known him longer.

He pushed the thought out of his mind and focused on the matter at hand. Ducking back a bit, he whispered, "Ready?"

"Yes, sir," Villetta, Kewell, and the rest of the purists said before they followed Jeremiah as he led the way onto the field, using the stands as a barrier to keep the terrorists from seeing them. As they walked toward the field, Jeremiah noted that the terrorists were all gathered on the field but he wasn't sure if there were enemies within the stands themselves.

" _There are no enemies in the stands themselves, by the way,_ " Moore's voice said. " _We've moved to our secondary position. Just give the command, Your Highness, and we'll provide support._ "

" _Wait until Jeremiah and his men get into position,_ " Prince Lelouch said.

" _Yes, Your Highness._ "

 **. . .**

Lelouch watched the scene from the confines of the temporary base that Mayor Livingston had given him and the Black Knights for the purposes of the mission. Suzaku was seated cross-legged with his back resting against the wall while Lloyd was pouting nearby as Cecile watched on in exasperation. The only other person in the temporary command center was the mayor himself; the rest of the Black Knights were scattered throughout Akita should the fight move outside of the baseball field, which Lelouch hoped would happen. If that happened then not only would the Black Knights have the element of surprise but Rayne and Kay would be able to get the hostages to safety using whichever route Jeremiah did not use.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Livingston asked for what seemed like the millionth time.

Lelouch was trying hard not to snap back at the mayor. Livingston was a coward, plain and simple, and he was constantly questioning Lelouch's decisions and he was racist to boot. That was clear by the way he kept glaring at Suzaku as if he was a roach that shouldn't be there.

But, while he did want to lash back at the mayor, he held his tongue.

"Yes, I am sure it will work," Lelouch said in a clipped tone, not taking his gaze off the surveillance footage that was focused on and around the baseball field.

"It just seems so unlikely that it will work. Are you sure?" Livingston asked again.

"Yes. I. Am. Sure. It. Will. Work," Lelouch ground out, fighting hard to keep himself calm.

"If you say so," Livingston said dubiously. "I mean, I know you're the Demon Prince who won against the Liberators but you're so young that I just can't see how this plan of yours will work."

"Then simply watch it work," Lelouch said.

Livingston fell silent and Lelouch watched as the conflict began, Jeremiah and the purist faction were locked in various dog fights with the terrorists and the fighting had drifted outside of the stadium. He switched the view over to the other surveillance footage where he knew Rayne and Kay would be leaving with the hostages.

He frowned when he noticed something off though, a blinking light in a room near the northern gate. "Lila, I just noticed something's off. Check the area around the northern gate," he said.

" _On it, Your Highness,_ " Lila said.

"Does this mean your plans going to fail?" Livingston asked. "I mean if you saw something..."

Lelouch gritted his teeth together. "We won't know until we know just what it is I spotted. The terrorists may have had a fail-safe installed to ensure that they would win no matter what," he said.

"Then why didn't you do anything about that?" Livingston asked.

"I am not omnipotent, Mayor Livingston. In every battle, one must always be aware that there might be variables that one is not expecting," Lelouch said simply.

" _Your Highness, I've found something. It appears to be some sort of detonator and it's set to go off in three minutes and counting,_ " Lila's voice said.

Lelouch narrowed his eyes. "They wouldn't..." He trailed off as he realized that they might. "Lila, see if you can disarm it. Contact Dimitri. Either he can help or he can connect you to someone who can." Without waiting for Lila to reply, he quickly connected to Kay and Rayne and said, "You need to get those hostages out of the stadium _now!_ "

" _Understood, Your Highness,_ " Rayne and Kay said.

"Do you think they'll be able to get all of them out in time?" Suzaku asked.

Livingston glared at Suzaku again. "You were not given permission to speak in front of His Highness, Eleven," he spat.

Lelouch's temper was really in danger of breaking and he forced himself to remain calm. "Mayor Livingston, my men have the right to speak in front of me and ask me questions if they so wish. Warrant Officer Kururugi, I have faith in Major Frost and Lieutenant Frost's abilities," he said.

Suzaku looked relieved.

"He's a filthy Eleven! He shouldn't even be here. He's just an expendable after all," Livingston exclaimed.

Lelouch's eye twitched as Livingston continued to speak, spewing insults toward Suzaku and causing Lelouch's already fragile temper to get even more brittle.

"He shouldn't even be in the 11th Regiment. What did he blackmail you with to get you to agree to let him join?"

"Mayor Livingston..." Lelouch began but Livingston cut him off.

"And he's the late Prime Minister's son! I have no doubt he'd betray you in an instant if given the chance," Livingston ranted.

"I would never..." Suzaku began but Livingston didn't seem to be listening to him.

" _Mayor Livingston!_ " Lelouch shouted and Livingston broke off abruptly and turned to face the amethyst-eyed prince.

"In case you have forgotten, we are in the middle of a campaign and your incessant ranting is distracting me. Please be more professional, Mayor Livingston," Lelouch added before returning his attention to the footage, lips pressing close together, ignoring the sputtering mayor. At the northern gate, Rayne and Kay guided the hostages out of the baseball field. They just barely cleared the gate beneath the stands when the bombs went off, spraying grass and debris in all directions. The bombs had, apparently, been spread out through the stadium because the stands, lobby, restrooms, and concession stands were caught in the explosion. The explosion temporarily halted the fight between the terrorists and the purist faction.

Lelouch keyed on the communicator as the area in which he'd last heard from Lila and Tadashi had also been caught in the blast. "Lila, Tadashi, status report," he said firmly.

" _We're okay, Your Highness, somewhat,_ " Tadashi's voice said. " _Lila got hit by some falling debris and isn't very coherent at the moment._ "

"Get clear of that building before it collapses and return to the rendezvous point," Lelouch said.

" _Yes, You Highness,_ " Tadashi said and grunted. " _Damn, she may be small but Lila ain't that light._ "

Lelouch's lips quirked. "I advise you to not say that around Lila when she's more coherent," he said.

" _No kidding. I ain't got a death wish,_ " Tadashi huffed and fell silent.

Switching over the communications to the Black Knights hidden throughout the city, Lelouch gave them orders to engage the enemy. He then contacted Rayne and Kay. "Rayne, Kay, have you gotten the hostages clear?" he asked.

" _Yes, Your Highness. They're safe. What are your orders?_ " Kay asked softly.

"Lend your support to Jeremiah, though I doubt he's going to be needing much help," Lelouch said as he turned his gaze to the dog fights occurring around the southern gate. With the inclusion of the rest of the regiment, the terrorists were quickly getting overwhelmed and it wasn't long before the few that were still alive were throwing down their arms and surrendering.

"Take them into custody. We can process them when we return to Tokyo," Lelouch said.

" _Yes, Your Highness._ " Jeremiah said.

"I'm surprised. I would've thought you wouldn't let them live," Livingston said. "Maybe your moniker is a bit misleading since you're obviously too soft."

Lelouch ground his teeth together; the last thing he wanted was for others to see him as soft. An idea came into his mind and he adopted a demonic smirk as he glanced at Livingston. "Why show them mercy by giving them a quick death? By arresting them, we can extract information out of them before having them executed," he said nonchalantly.

"Oh I see. So they're going to be an example to others to not cross you or you'll destroy them?" Livingston said.

 _Sure, let's go with that._ "I thought I made that abundantly clear at Sapporo," Lelouch said simply and returned his gaze back to the footage as the battle came to an end.

 **. . .**

 _October 12, 2016_

One week had gone by since the terrorists were defeated, and the survivors surrendered, and the Black Knights were still stationed in Akita. According to Lelouch, Mayor Livingston wanted him to remain behind for a while longer while the mayor worked on stabilizing the city. Rayne seemed to think that Livingston wanted to use Lelouch's reputation as a way of deterring another terrorist attack for as long as possible.

From what Kay knew about Akita, it was one of the hotspots of terrorist activity since the attack on Sapporo back in January but he only learned that because of the citizens that he'd spoken to. Apparently, Livingston had tried to handle the matter on his own and didn't ask for help from General Andon and, when the terrorists left, he didn't think that they would return, until this incident and, only then, did he ask for help.

"It's actually pretty nice here," Parker commented as he walked alongside Kay. The two of them were walking along a bluff overlooking the Sea of Area 11; Parker had asked Kay to join him for a morning walk and, deciding that he may as well, Kay had agreed.

He and Parker were getting along great and even Rayne was warming up to Parker. While he was still a little upset about what his so-called 'parents' had said about him and Rayne, he was glad that Parker didn't seem to be adhering to their parents' words.

"Yeah," Kay said.

"That's one reason why I'm glad I joined the military. You can visit a lot of different places," Parker commented, his hands tucked into the pockets of his uniform and his head tilted back to gaze at the cloudless blue sky. He then turned to gaze at Kay. "Where's Rayne, by the way?"

"She went to challenge Suzaku to an unarmed fight for some reason in the park."

"Oh?" Parker raised an eyebrow. "So is there someone who can actually beat Rayne in an unarmed fight?"

Kay thought about Suzaku and how skilled he was at fighting. "It's possible," he said.

"Let's go watch. If we're lucky, we can catch the end of it," Parker suggested. "My money's on Rayne winning."

Kay smiled. "Ten bucks says Suzaku wins," he said.

"Deal!"

 **. . .**

Tadashi mused that this was the first time he'd ever seen the two best unarmed fighters that he'd seen in action during basic training go at it against each other. They were doing well keeping the other on their toes; they were both quick and strong, though Suzaku seemed almost graceful when he fought. Tadashi wondered just who'd taught him martial arts; he, himself, had been taught, briefly, by his parents when he was little but never really developed an interest in it. He knew enough to defend himself but that was it.

"What's going on?" Tadashi looked to the side to find Lila standing next to him, watching the fight bewildered. A week had gone by since Tadashi had carried the barely conscious Lila out of the reined stadium building and Lila had thanked him by kissing him on the cheek the following day. He still blushed at the memory, still surprised that the pretty girl had kissed him, even if it was only on the cheek.

"Rayne challenged Suzaku to a fight and he accepted," Tadashi said, managing to fight off the blush that memory had brought up.

"Why?"

"I dunno. To pass the time? She thought it'd be fun? I walked in when they were already starting so I didn't get a chance to ask," Tadashi said.

Lila frowned but Tadashi was distracted by the fight before she could say anything else as Rayne flipped Suzaku over her head, only for him to twist in midair, land a roundhouse kick against her temple and then land lightly on his feet as Rayne was thrown to the ground.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, moving to Rayne's side.

Rayne held her head. "Ow, that hurt," she complained.

Suzaku gave her a sheepish smile and held out a hand. "Sorry," he said.

"Don't worry 'bout it," Rayne said, taking the hand and letting the brunet pull her to her feet. "Nice move though. I guess I'm never gonna get those pictures now."

"Speaking of those pictures," Tadashi said with a grin as Suzaku and Rayne walked over to join him and Lila. "What was Lelouch's reaction to 'em?"

Suzaku smiled. "He laughed for a good five minutes," he said.

Rayne pouted.

"By the way, if you two are here, who's with Lelouch?" Lila asked.

"Dimitri and Jeremiah," Suzaku said. "Lelouch decided that he didn't want the office he'd been given packed so he's only allowing two members of his Royal Guard to remain with him at all times."

"Speaking of that, Kay and I are supposed to replace Jeremiah and Dimitri soon," Rayne commented. "Now where did my annoying little brother go?"

"I'm older than you, Rayne," Kay's voice said and the four of them turned to find Kay walking over to join them with Parker at his side.

"I see the fight's over. Who won?" Parker asked.

"Suzaku," Rayne said.

"Damn it!" Parker pouted as he reached into his pocket, pulled out a ten dollar bill, and hand it to a smirking Kay.

Rayne blinked as realization dawned on her. " _You betted_ against _your own sister?!_ " She exclaimed.

"Well, Parker was so confident that you would win, I decided to go for your opponent," Kay said with a shrug. "At least I'll have enough to buy some ice cream later."

"You're buying me one too," Rayne said firmly.

"Yeah, yeah. By the way, Suzaku, have Lelouch and Dimitri seen those pictures yet?" Kay asked.

"They both have and found them very amusing," Suzaku said.

"It was _not_ funny," Rayne growled, folding her arms across her chest with a huff. She then unfolded her arms, walked over to Kay, and grabbed his arm. "We've gotta get to work. Laters, you guys." Without another word, she dragged her elder, but shorter, twin brother toward the temporary command center of the Black Knights.

"Well, that was entertaining," Tadashi commented, stretching his hands above his head and started walking backwards away from the park, glancing at Lila. "So what do ya say to getting some thing to eat, beautiful?"

Lila looked away, a light blush on her cheeks. "Um, sure, I can eat, but stop calling me that," she said, adding the last part quickly, though there wasn't much heat in her voice.

Tadashi was so startled that he didn't see the bush until he tripped over it and was sent tumbling onto the pavement of the sidewalk that enclosed the park. "Ow!"

Lila bit her lip, clearly trying not to laugh, as she walked over to join him. "That's why you need to watch where you're walking," she chided, holding out a hand.

"Yeah, yeah," Tadashi huffed but took the hand and pulled himself to his feet. "But...you really wanna go out to lunch with me?"

Lila shrugged and looked away. "I guess," she said.

 _I'll take it._ "Then let's go! See ya later, Suzaku," Tadashi said with a grin, slinging his arm around Lila's shoulders and guiding the bewildered Lila away from the park.

 **. . .**

 _October 25, 2016_

 _Ballroom, Student Council Clubhouse_

It was Tuesday afternoon in the last week of October and the ballroom of the Student Council Clubhouse was decorated. Pink and purple streamers crisscrossed along the rafters above, pink, purple, blue, and green balloons were taped on the walls or floating randomly on the ground. Two tables were set up at the center of the ballroom, one was covered with foods while the others had chairs around it, except for the place at the head; pink tablecloths were draped over both tables while purple asters and pink carnations were poking out of the vases that dotted the table. Scattered on the table without the food were origami cranes in various different colors.

At the head of the table sat Nunnally. The princess was smiling brightly as Sayoko placed the slice of chocolate cake with raspberry filling and whipped vanilla frosting in front of her. On either side of the plate were wrapped presents and cards. The rest of the Student Council were seated around the table, chatting with each other or Nunnally and taking bites of their own slices of cake.

"Thank you so much for this, Milly," Nunnally said with that contagiously bright smile on her face.

Milly smiled back. "Oh think nothing of it, Nunnally. You only turn fourteen once!" she said.

"Yeah, who made this cake by the way? It's delicious," Kallen said, swallowing a bit of her cake. It really was; she has always been a fan of chocolate but this cake was so good.

"Sayoko did but she used Big Brother's recipe," Nunnally said, swallowing her own bite of cake. "When Big Brother started baking, he would always make me a cake for my birthday from scratch. I always thought it was the most delicious cake I've ever had. I think it's cause Big Brother made it for me and it was made with love."

Kallen smiled sadly, thinking about her own brother. Naoto couldn't cook to save his life, let alone bake, but he would, sometimes, try during holidays or Kallen's birthday. The kitchen in his apartment always ended up being a disaster zone after his attempt but the food didn't taste _that_ terrible.

She glanced around at the Student Council members, minus Tara, who were seated around her and smiled to herself. Over the course of the past several months since she'd started attending Ashford, she'd become friends with the Student Council, except that bitch Tara, and Nunnally. There was no denying that. While she knew that she would still fight back against Britannia in a heartbeat, she now knew that the Britannians weren't all bad.

As she thought about that, her thoughts went to Lelouch, to the Demon Prince of Britannia, and a small frown crossed her lips. He was going to be a dangerous enemy, there was no doubt about that, but it wasn't as if her big brother's resistance could do anything. Naoto's death had shattered and scattered the group and Ohgi didn't yet have the confidence to take over where Naoto had left off. At least, not right now.

But she would worry about that later. Right now, she had a party to enjoy.

"Do you think your brother would be willing to give me the recipe to this cake?" she asked as she chewed on another piece.

"I can ask him," Nunnally said. She smiled sadly and added, "It's really weird. This is the first birthday I've spent without him."

"He's here in spirit, Nunna," Shirley said.

"He hasn't even called me to wish me a happy birthday," Nunnally murmured and then shook her head, adding, "I feel so selfish saying something like that. I mean, I know Big Brother's very busy with his work with the military but it's just..."

"We understand, Nunna," Shirley said.

Just then, a phone rang, causing Rivalz to jump. Kallen snickered as Sayoko pulled her phone out of her pocket, flipping it open. "Yes?" she said into it and nodded once before turning to Nunnally. "Mistress Nunnally, it's your brother."

"Speak of the Devil..." Milly said. "Put it on speaker, Sayoko."

Sayoko nodded and put the phone on the table, turning on the speaker phone as she did so.

"... _Tadashi, give me back my phone now! Suzaku, no, you can't sing to save your life. Don't give me that look, you know it's true,_ " Lelouch's voice exclaimed over the phone.

" _But it's her birthday! We should sing to her!_ " the voice that Kallen figured belonged to Tadashi said.

" _Even if it is her birthday, I don't want my poor little sister's ears to start bleeding because a certain someone—Suzaku—makes nails on a chalkboard sound great,_ " Lelouch said dryly.

" _I am not that bad,_ " Suzaku exclaimed.

" _Yes, you are._ "

" _We should do it though. I can duct tape Suzaku's mouth shut if you want,_ " a girl's voice said.

" _...You're just trying to get back at me for giving copies of those pictures to everyone, aren't you?_ " Suzaku said.

" _...Maybe._ "

" _Jeremiah, please get my phone back from Tadashi, would you?_ " Lelouch said impatiently.

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " the voice that Kallen recognized as Jeremiah Gottwald said.

" _Noo. I wanna sing to Lelouch's beautiful sister,_ " Tadashi whined.

" _Give the phone back to His Highness,_ " Gottwald said firmly.

" _Lila, don't you wanna sing happy birthday to the birthday girl?_ " Tadashi called, not seeming to have heard Gottwald's words, or just ignoring them. Kallen really wasn't sure. She could tell by the looks on the faces of the rest of the Student Council that they were finding this interaction very amusing though.

" _I can't sing that great but it is tradition,_ " another girl's voice said.

" _See? Lila agrees..._ " Tadashi's words were cut off by a yelp and a crash.

" _I got your phone back, Lelouch,_ " Suzaku said cheerfully.

" _Ow! Why did you use that damned spinkick on me?_ " Tadashi exclaimed.

" _Thank you, Suzaku, and it's not like you went_ through _the window, Tadashi,_ " Lelouch said, his voice sounding a little bit louder now that the phone was closer to him.

" _Well, it was close!_ "

" _We're on the first floor. At worst, you'd end up in a bush,_ " Lelouch said, sounding faintly amused as he added, " _again._ "

" _That was not my fault! Rayne was the one who knocked me down that hill,_ " Tadashi protested. " _Speaking of Rayne, you thinking of starting a dog-care business? Dogs love giving you baths after all._ "

" _Grr!_ "

" _Whoa, calm down, Rayne, calm down,_ " a soft voice said. " _Put down the paperweight, Rayne. I doubt Mayor Livingston will be happy if you break a window throwing that at Tadashi's head._ "

" _Eep. Um, isn't Nunnally still on the phone? Shouldn't we be wishing her a happy birthday or something?_ " Tadashi asked nervously as if expecting that girl Rayne to chuck a paperweight at his head.

Kallen mused that if the girl wasn't in the military, they might have gotten along great.

" _I've been waiting for you since you're the one who took my phone,_ " Lelouch said dryly.

" _Well, let's sing for her!_ " Tadashi exclaimed.

" _I don't think it would hurt if we sing for her,_ " that soft voice said. " _If you're really afraid of causing Nunnally's ears to bleed, we'll just go with Rayne's suggestion and duct-tape Suzaku's mouth shut._ "

" _You two really are twins, Kay,_ " Suzaku grumbled.

Lelouch chuckled. " _Fine. Lila, go fetch the duct tape,_ " he said.

" _That's not necessary! I won't sing!_ " Suzaku exclaimed.

" _Now that that's taken care of, let's get to it!_ " Tadashi said eagerly.

"... _Why are you so insistent…? You know what, I don't even care. You should participate too, Jer,_ " Lelouch said and snickered again and Kallen heard grumbling in the background.

" _Very well, Your Highness,_ " Gottwald said.

" _Dimitri, you've gotta sing too!_ " Tadashi shouted.

" _Is that really necessary?_ " Another male voice asked warily.

" _Yes! Of course it is because...well, it just is!_ "

" _Real sound reasoning there,_ " Rayne said dryly.

Kallen didn't know what to make of what she was hearing, other than that it was rather amusing, but it sounded almost as if Prince Lelouch had a rather friendly and casual relationship with some of his subordinates. As she thought about it, she realized that she was seeing—or, rather, _hearing_ —a side of the Demon Prince that few got to see, the side that she'd seen a few times such as when she'd met Lelouch for the first time or whenever Milly and the others would speak to him on speaker phone when he called Nunnally.

It made him seem less Demon Prince and more human.

Kallen wasn't sure how she felt about that revelation.

" _C'mon, let's get started,_ " Tadashi said eagerly.

" _You're impatient to start,_ " Kay mused but it wasn't long before a chorus of voices sounded over the phone.

" _Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Nunnally, happy birthday to you!_ "

Nunnally was smiling, her face bright with happiness. "Thank you, Big Brother," she said.

" _You're welcome, Nunnally,_ " Lelouch said.

" _What about us? Are we just chopped liver or something?_ " Tadashi whined.

"Thank you to your friends too, Big Brother," Nunnally added.

" _You're welcome, beautiful,_ " Tadashi said happily and then yelped in pain. " _Ow! Why did you throw a paperweight at me, Lelouch?!_ "

" _Sorry,_ " Lelouch said, not sounding sorry at all but his next apology was a genuine one. " _I'm sorry that I couldn't be there for your birthday, Nunnally. Things got a bit chaotic where I am and it looks like I'm going to be stuck in Akita for anywhere from another week to another month._ "

"I understand, Big Brother, but thank you for calling," Nunnally said.

" _How has your birthday been so far?_ " Lelouch asked.

"It's been good, Big Brother," Nunnally said. "Milly threw me a little party and Sayoko made that raspberry-filled chocolate cake with vanilla frosting that I love. She did a pretty good job but I don't think she's figured out your secret yet. By the way, Kallen wants the recipe."

Lelouch hummed in thought. " _I'll think about it,_ " he said. " _I'll be sure to give you your gift when I get back. I found something here in Akita that I think you'll like._ "

"Oh thank you," Nunnally said.

" _You're welcome, Nunnally. By the way, I have some news. I've been so busy that I haven't had the chance to tell you,_ " Lelouch said.

"What is it?" Nunnally asked.

" _I've chosen my Knight of Honor._ "

"Wow, that's big," Rivalz commented. "I mean, aren't Knights of Honor people that their prince or princess trust with their lives?"

"Yeah. I gotta admit I'm a bit surprised too, considering Lelouch's trust is _very_ hard to come by," Milly said.

"That's great news, Big Brother. Who is it?" Nunnally asked.

" _I'm not saying,_ " Lelouch said. " _It's going to be a surprise, Nunnally, but I think you'll be happy with my decision._ "

Nunnally tilted her head to the side curiously. "Can I try and guess?" she asked.

" _You may but please don't tell anyone who you think it is,_ " Lelouch said.

Nunnally hummed, her brow furrowed in thought as if considering Lelouch's words before realization dawned on her face and another beaming smile crossed her face. "I think I know who it is! And if it is who I think it is then I can understand why you don't want anyone to know until after the knighting ceremony," she said.

" _I have to go now, Nunnally,_ " Lelouch said. " _I have some work I need to get done. I love you, Little Sister, and I'll see you in, hopefully, a couple of weeks._ "

"I love you too, Big Brother," Nunnally said.

" _Have a good rest of your birthday, Nunnally,_ " Lelouch said.

"I will, Big Brother," Nunnally said with a smile.

Lelouch repeated his goodbyes to the rest of the Student Council before hanging up.

Sayoko retook the phone and closed it.

Kallen went back to eating her slice of cake as she watched Nunnally happily begin opening the cards from Euphemia, Cornelia, Clovis, and Schneizel, though she had to have Sayoko read the cards to her. Then she went on to her gifts, thanking everyone who'd given them to her; Milly got her a set of braille books that were the next in the series that Nunnally was reading, Shirley got her a set of body sprays, Rivalz got her an origami kit, and Nina got her a couple of audio books. After she finished unwrapping those gifts, she picked up Kallen's gift and gently began to unwrap it. She gently pulled out the carefully crafted music box, running her fingers over it.

"Open it," Kallen said.

Nunnally turned her face to her but opened it, gasping when the piano music of the folk song _hana_ started playing out of the music box. "Oh. It's that _hana_ song. It's so pretty," she said with a smile.

"It took me a while," Kallen admitted, "I had to search quite a few places for it but I remembered that you liked that song and your brother used to sing it to you so I thought you would like it." She felt a tad bit embarrassed but the bright smile that crossed Nunnally's face made that embarrassment go away. She really did like Nunnally.

She could never be her enemy, never.

Kallen had been lying a bit when she told Nunnally that she had to search for it. She'd always had that song. Her father, back when he'd been a _good_ father, had recorded her mother playing that song when she and Naoto were little and Kallen had managed to find the recording and hide it in her room when her bitch of a stepmother came into the picture.

"Thank you, Kallen. I love it," Nunnally said, closing the music box to preserve the battery.

"You're welcome, Nunnally," Kallen replied.

 **. . .**

 _November 11, 2016_

 _Tokyo Military Base, Tokyo Settlement_

" _Home at last!_ " Tadashi exclaimed, throwing his hands above his head happily.

Suzaku rolled his eyes at his friend in amusement. He couldn't blame him though. It felt nice to be back in Tokyo after spending the last almost five months abroad and, even if Suzaku didn't really have family to return to, he was glad to be back. After spending almost a month and a half in Akita, everyone was glad for the chance to finally visit their families and, generally, just get a chance to relax.

"Tadashi," Lila scolded. "We're in public. Show some proper decorum."

"Sorry," the burnt-orange-haired Honorary Britannian said sheepishly.

Suzaku and Lelouch's Royal Guard were currently standing in the hangar of the Tokyo Military Base with Jeremiah and Lelouch talking nearby. The rest of the regiment were milling around, talking with their allies, while the injured had already been escorted to the medical ward and the prisoners were taken in to be questioned.

It wasn't long before Lelouch ordered the Black Knights to rest and allowed them to go on leave for the time being. He then walked over to join his Royal Guard and Suzaku with Jeremiah walking behind him.

"Come, we're heading to the Viceroy's Palace. I have to inform Clovis of my new position. After that, we're going to Ashford Academy," Lelouch said.

"Yes, Your Highness," Dimitri, Lila, Tadashi, Kay, and Rayne said.

"You're coming with, Suzaku," Lelouch added, casting a sidelong glance at Suzaku who blinked at him. "Nunnally will want to see you anyway."

Suzaku smiled. "You're not going to drag me into the meeting room again, are you?" he asked.

"Only if you act like a stubborn moron," Lelouch said, lips quirking in amusement.

 **. . .**

 _Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement_

The group of eight approached Prince Clovis's office with Lelouch in the lead, relaxed for the first time in a while, even with the weight of his new responsibilities on his shoulders. He couldn't help it; he was finally back in Tokyo and he would be reunited with his little sister soon enough. A lot had happened the past almost five months but, at the very least, it seemed as if Lelouch was succeeding in garnering a reputation and prestige. When he'd arrived at the Viceroy's Palace, quite a few people had given him a wide berth while murmuring under their breath about his new moniker and discussing his victory over the Liberators.

When Lelouch reached the office, he raised a hand and knocked on the door.

There was a moment of silence before "Come in!" sounded.

Lelouch pushed open the door to find Clovis looking toward him with Bartley standing next to him. Clovis stood up. "Lelouch, welcome back," he greeted him warmly, though his eyes were guarded.

"It's good to be back, brother," Lelouch said as he made his way into the room with his Royal Guard and Suzaku just behind him.

"I must say, congratulations on defeating the Liberators," Clovis said with a smile that seemed rather forced and his eyes took on a slight hint of bitterness. "From what I saw and heard during Mr. Ried's commentary, it was an impressive victory."

"Indeed. The Liberators were a formidable enemy but not unbeatable," Lelouch said as he took his seat in front of Clovis's desk and Clovis sat down as well.

"Now then, what brings you here, Lelouch? I would've thought that you would've visited Nunnally first," Clovis said with a knowing smirk on his face.

"I would have," Lelouch conceded, "but Schneizel told me that I was to inform you of my new orders as soon as I got back to Tokyo."

"What new orders?"

"I've been promoted to Brigadier General and am taking over General Andon's duty and focusing on eradicating the terrorist threat here in Area 11. I have also been chosen to be the new Sub-Viceroy of Area 11," Lelouch replied.

Clovis blinked, a brief sense of panic crossed his eyes but it was gone in a split second. Lelouch frowned to himself and kept what he saw in mind. "So it would appear Father wants you to experience the political field now that you've proven yourself more than capable in the military," he commented.

"That is what I believe as well," Lelouch said tonelessly.

"Well, I certainly won't mind having a Sub-Viceroy. There is so much work associated with my position that it will be nice to be able to share it," Clovis added. "Hmm, perhaps I can arrange a party to celebrate this new appointment."

"Ah, that won't be necessary," Lelouch said quickly, grimacing inwardly at the thought of attending another one of his brother's 'parties'. "Besides, I'm going to be busy the next week. I have a Knighting Ceremony to organize as well as work with my new positions to do."

Clovis hummed. "That does sound like a lot to do. Fine. Fine. I won't organize a party for this but you've gotta let me organize the reception party for after your Knight's Knighting Ceremony," he said.

"That won't be necessary either, brother," Lelouch said.

"Nonsense. Choosing a Knight is always a big deal," Clovis said.

 _Until you find out just_ who _I chose,_ Lelouch mused, knowing full well that Clovis was going to be shocked and not happy, at best, by his decision. He wasn't planning on changing his mind though; Suzaku deserved it and there was no one else that Lelouch trusted enough to be his Knight. Even Jeremiah didn't have quite the same level of trust that Suzaku did, though he was getting close.

"I won't accept no for an answer," Clovis said firmly.

"Fine but on one condition," Lelouch said finally. "We'll have it at Ashford so Nunnally can attend without getting mobbed by the media"—he knew that the ceremony, itself, would be well protected—"and we can ensure her safety. I do not want thatassassin to be given another shot."

Clovis nodded. "I can understand that. It's a shame that we're still turning up dead-ends in our search for that assassin," he said. "It's almost as if he vanished into thin air."

"If they know that you're actively searching for them then it is very likely that they've gone to ground and also likely won't resurface until they believe that you've given up on looking for them," Lelouch said simply, inwardly seething that there was still no news on just who tried to assassinate his little sister. He decided that he would take over the investigation himself as soon as he started working as Sub-Viceroy; he would find the bastard who tried to kill his little sister and it was very likely that the bastard was not going to survive the encounter.

Lelouch stood up before adding, "Now, if you will excuse me..."

"Of course, of course," Clovis said, waving his hand dismissively and Lelouch turned on his heel before heading for the door to the office.

 **. . .**

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

" _..._ "

"So? What do you think?" Tara asked quietly. She had just spent the last ten minutes explaining her brilliant, in her eyes, plan to kill the princess. She had been quiet about the entire matter since the middle of July but now she felt like she could do it.

" _I had really thought that I'd gotten through to you but it would appear that I did not,_ " B.B. said with a small sigh.

Tara scoffed. "What about her brother?" she demanded. "Even if the princess isn't a threat, her brother definitely is." She'd seen the birth of the Demon Prince along with the rest of the Student Council.

" _Then go after him. Leave the princess alone,_ " B.B. said coolly.

"But I can use her against him! It's obvious that she's his weakness! I can use that against him!" Tara exclaimed. "I can kill her and that'll weaken him!"

" _Or make him stronger than ever. Not everyone caves into despair when they lose a loved one, Tara,_ " B.B. said warningly.

"We don't know that he won't," Tara said.

" _We also don't know that he will. Your idea relies on the_ idea _that the prince will react as_ you _think he will react. You don't know him well enough to assume just how he would react should something happen to his little sister,_ " B.B. said. " _Look, all I'm saying is that it is Prince Lelouch that is the enemy, not Princess Nunnally. As I have already told you, she is but an innocent, disabled girl; Prince Lelouch, on the other hand, is the Demon Prince of Britannia who succeeded in defeating the Liberators, being one of only_ two _to ever accomplish that._ He _is the enemy, not Nunnally._ "

Tara growled. "It doesn't matter just what Nunnally is. I can use her against Prince Lelouch and that's what I'm gonna do," she declared.

She was positive she heard a head colliding with a wall or a desk. " _Damn it, Tara! Why the hell are you so damn stubborn?! Okay, fine. I'll just take some advice I should've taken a long time ago. You are being a stubborn moron! If you continue along this path, you are going to get killed! I suppose this is my fault. When I told you that the Emperor's children helped govern the country, I should have mentioned that only_ some _of his children help govern the country; there are some that have no part in how the country is run or are not part of the military. And those are the ones that should be_ left alone! _Nunnally is part of that category._ "

"I don't believe you," Tara shouted. "You said that I should go after his children!"

" _My exact words were 'It isn't just the Emperor who governs his country,' Tara. Where in all of that do I say that you should go after the children who are_ not _part of the people who govern the country?_ " B.B. growled, sounding incredibly frustrated.

"Shut up!" Tara screamed into the phone. "It's clear that you aren't going to help me achieve my goal anymore! I don't care that I have a contract with you. I don't care that I have to fulfill your wish. I'm done! I'm gonna do things my way so leave me the fuck alone!"

There was a long moment of silence. " _Very well then. Consider me gone, Tara,_ " B.B. said coolly, though there was a slight sliver of regret and sadness in his voice. " _Perhaps if you come to your senses before you make a fatal mistake then you can come find me. For now, I will leave you alone. Goodbye, Tara. Your power is yours to keep. I cannot take it from you but, even though we will still be linked until you die, consider our contract null and voided._ " There was a _click_ and silence on the other end of the phone.

Tara glared at the phone and threw it into the wall so hard that it shattered, sending pieces of glass and metal to the ground.

"Tara?"

Tara quickly adopted a mask of fake happiness as she turned to find Shirley standing in the doorway, watching her with concern in her eyes. "Oh, hey Shirley," she greeted her with a happy smile.

"Are you okay? Why'd you throw your phone into the wall?" Shirley asked confused.

"It was giving me a hell of a lot of problems and I just lost my temper. Was there something you needed?" Tara asked.

"Oh, right, Milly wants everyone to meet in the ballroom. Lulu's coming by the visit and she wants everyone to be there to greet him. She also wants to introduce you to him," Shirley said.

"Oh, okay," Tara said, that fake smile faltering just slightly but she forced herself to keep it on as she stood up and followed Shirley out of the meeting room.

 **. . .**

 _Ballroom, Student Council Clubhouse_

Lelouch walked into the ballroom with Suzaku and his Royal Guard walking in right behind him, at his insistence. Jeremiah took up a position by the door just to be on the safe side while the rest just wandered nearby, looking around. The ballroom was done up with a few decorations as well as tables on which some platters of food were placed.

"Whoa, this place is neat!" Tadashi said. "And it's huge! It's like the size of my entire house."

"It's really nice," Lila commented. "Kinda reminds me of home a little bit."

"I used to live here with Nunnally before I rejoined the Royal Family," Lelouch said.

"Whoa, really? Nice," Rayne said.

The door opened and Milly came jogging into the room, pouting when she spotted him. "Lelouch! What are you doing here? You're early!" she complained, folding her arms across her chest.

"I didn't realize there was a certain time I was supposed to be here," Lelouch said dryly, raising an eyebrow. "Though I can't say that I'm surprised you're throwing a party. I'm honestly surprised you didn't throw an entire festival."

"Didn't have enough time or money for that matter," Milly said with a shrug and turned around. "Rivalz! Nina! Hurry up with those desserts. Our guest of honor is early! And where the hell is Shirley, Kallen, and Tara?"

"We're here," Shirley said, walking into the room with an aqua-haired girl walking just behind her.

Lelouch glanced curiously at the newcomer that he figured was Tara Archer, the newest member of the Student Council, and froze when he caught sight of those dark eyes…

 _Very familiar_ dark eyes…

Due to his eidetic memory, Lelouch always remembered details that he saw, including people's face and, even though her hair was different, this girl had the same _exact_ eyes as…

"Lulu! You're back," Shirley exclaimed, rushing forward and tackling Lelouch in a hug, jolting him out of his thoughts and throwing him off his feet with a yelp.

Suzaku burst out laughing and was quickly joined by Rayne and Tadashi while Lila and Kay seemed to be trying hard, and failing, to hide their amused smirks.

"Shirley, it's good to see you too, but really?" Lelouch said, raising an eyebrow at the orange-haired girl that was straddling him, which brought a blush to his cheeks.

A bright flash filled his vision and Milly exclaimed, "Ha! I knew I made the right choice in bringing my camera! Shirley certainly missed ya, huh? Though maybe you two should get a room, eh?" She waggled her eyebrows and there was no missing the implication.

"Milly!"

"Madam President!"

Lelouch and Shirley shouted at the exact same time, Shirley was beet-red while Lelouch was trying, and failing, to hide his own blush.

"Well, considering the position you two are in, I'd say that I gave some good advice," Milly said with a big perverted grin.

Shirley blinked and then yelped and jumped off Lelouch when she realized the rather compromising position they'd been in. "I'm so sorry, Lulu," she cried, the blush on her face deepening.

Lelouch sighed and pushed himself to his feet. "Don't worry about it, Shirley," he assured her and glared at Suzaku, Rayne, and Tadashi. At the very least, they were starting to calm down, though they were still grinning in amusement.

The door opened and Rivalz and Nina came into the ballroom, guiding a serving cart filled with a few more platters of food. Through another door, Nunnally was being wheeled into the room by Kallen, holding a couple of flowers in her hand.

"Thank you for taking me to the school gardens, Kallen," she said.

"You're welcome, Nunnally," Kallen replied meekly.

Lelouch wasted no time going to his little sister's side as Kallen brought the wheelchair to a stop and knelt down beside her, taking the hand that wasn't holding the flowers.

"Big Brother!" Nunnally cried in greeting and, pulling her hand from Lelouch's, she wrapped them around Lelouch's neck. He curled his arm around her waist, resting his chin on top of her head as he held her. "You're back!"

"I'm back, Nunnally," he murmured softly, lifting his head and gazing down with a fond smile at his little sister.

"You're early," Nunnally said as she released him and sat back in her wheelchair. "Milly was gonna throw you a surprise party but you got here too soon."

"No one told me I had to be here at a certain time," Lelouch said simply.

"Is Suzaku with you?" Nunnally asked.

"Yeah, so is Jer," Lelouch said, lips quirking at the nickname as he cast a glance over his shoulder and gestured for Suzaku and Jeremiah, the latter of whom was grumbling again at the nickname, to join him.

"Great," Nunnally said brightly.

"It's good to see you again, Nunnally," Suzaku said, resting his hand on hers and she took it before squeezing it.

"Hello, my princess. You're looking well," Jeremiah said as Suzaku released Nunnally's hand and she stretched it out toward the orange-eyed young man who took it.

"Well, looks like we've got a lot of introductions to go through," Milly commented. "Why don't we sit down and eat and then we can do the introductions?" (1)

"Food sounds good. Ohhh, I see watermelon!" Tadashi said excitedly.

Lelouch rolled his eyes in amusement as he stood up and turned toward the Student Council, lips quirking into a slight frown when he briefly locked eyes with Tara. The girl held his gaze for a long moment before she looked away but not before he caught a glimpse of panic in their dark depths.

 _Is she really the one from the museum?_ Lelouch thought.

 **. . .**

 _November 18, 2016_

 _Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement_

The Knighting Ceremony was due to begin at two in the afternoon and Diethard was still unaware of who Prince Lelouch had chosen to be his knight. He'd tried to find out but it would appear that the only one's who knew were the prince, his soon-to-be Knight, and, possibly, his Royal Guard and neither the prince nor the Royal Guard were talking. He didn't know what to make of that; he honestly had no clue as to why Prince Lelouch would keep his Knight of Honor a secret until the actual ceremony.

He suspected that he was missing something but he didn't know what.

At the very least, he was thankful that Prince Lelouch had agreed to let him be in charge of the live broadcast that would be seen all across the world. He was glad that he would be able to stick close to the Demon Prince of Britannia; there was no denying that he was an enigma and intriguing and Diethard was looking forward to documenting him more. He'd already documented that historic victory at Sapporo, which had earned him great praise from various news stations and newspapers and even his rival Quill, and he was looking forward to what else the Demon Prince had to offer.

And it would seem that the Demon Prince's Knight was going to be another surprise that he couldn't wait to report on.

Already, he could see the mass of noblemen and women making their way into the ballroom for the ceremony. All of them looked puzzled and he could hear snatches of their conversations, suggesting that they also didn't know just who Prince Lelouch had chosen as his Knight.

Prince Clovis also showed up along with Princess Nunnally, Prince Lelouch's Royal Guard, and even General Andon but the appearance of Prince Schneizel took Diethard by surprise. He hadn't expected the Prime Minister of Britannia to journey all the way to Area 11 for a simple Knighting Ceremony.

"Brother Schneizel, what are you doing here?" Princess Nunnally asked sweetly when Prince Schneizel moved to her side to greet her.

"I had some business to take care of with Earl Asplund anyway so I decided to attend. Besides, I wish to speak with Lelouch after the ceremony," Prince Schneizel said, taking the princess's hand when she held it out to him.

"Does Lelouch know?" Prince Clovis asked.

"Yes. I called him a few days ago to inform him that I would be visiting today," Prince Schneizel said simply.

Diethard didn't hear anything else that was said between them as more nobles entered the room, forcing him to backtrack out of the way to avoid getting run over by them. By the time they'd all walked past and Diethard was able to get close enough to hear something more, the subject had changed to the question that he was sure was plaguing everyone's mind.

"So does anyone know who Lelouch chose as his Knight?" Prince Clovis asked.

"I do but Big Brother told me not to tell anyone," Princess Nunnally said.

"Why not, Nunnally?" Prince Schneizel asked with a raised eyebrow.

Nunnally smiled. "I think it's because of who it is," she said. "Big Brother probably thinks his Knight will be in danger if people found out who he was before the official ceremony."

Diethard's brow furrowed in puzzlement. _Why would he think that? Unless...is it possible? But if that's true then..._

Prince Schneizel's light purple eyes filled with deep thought and he hummed to himself but said nothing. Diethard had this odd feeling that the Prime Minister of Britannia had figured out something but wasn't likely to tell anyone what he figured out.

But then Diethard was in the same position. He had a feeling he now knew why Prince Lelouch was keeping who his Knight was a secret until after the ceremony.

 **. . .**

Suzaku paced in his room, his nerves starting to get the better of him. He felt the sudden urge to leave the Viceroy's Palace and never look back but he forced himself not to. He had already agreed to this decision and he couldn't back out of it now; he couldn't just abandon Lelouch like that, not after what his friend was putting on the line just to give Suzaku what he felt he deserved. However, that didn't make him any less nervous.

He hadn't even gotten changed into the new uniform that he'd be wearing as Lelouch's Knight of Honor, though he still had forty-five minute before the ceremony again. He bit his lip as he stopped in his pacing and gazed out the window that overlooked the grounds of the Viceroy's Palace.

 _This is what I wanted. I wanted to rise in the ranks and Lelouch even told me that I'd earned this position and yet...I don't want it to reflect badly on Lelouch,_ Suzaku thought soberly. He wanted to think that Lelouch knew what he was doing, since his friend always did, but he couldn't help but worry a little bit.

 _Don't worry. Lelouch knows what he's doing. He always does,_ Suzaku told himself firmly and took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. It wasn't helping much.

He glanced at the time, biting his lip when he noticed that only about ten minutes had gone by. Deciding that he'd put it off for long enough, he walked over to the uniform and changed into it before picking up the sword. The sword was excellently crafted with a slender silver blade and a black hilt encrusted with a few emerald gems. It was Britannian-made, naturally, but Suzaku could see some Eleven influence in the design, such as the slight curve to the slender blade.

He sheathed the sword again before attaching it to his belt and turned around to take a look at himself in the mirror.

He really didn't look like himself.

He was dressed in a long-sleeved gold-trimmed white overcoat that went to his waist with white pants; on his shoulders were golden epaulettes and he had a white belt wrapped around his waist attached to which was the sword. A gold trimmed black cloak was resting around his shoulders. (2) All in all, he did not look like a normal Honorary Britannian or, even if the color scheme was similar, the pilot of the _Lancelot_ ; he looked like a noble.

And it made him feel even more uncomfortable.

He took a deep breath again as he glanced at the clock and saw that he was starting to run out of time. _I'm going to have to head to the ballroom soon,_ he thought.

And yet his nerves still wouldn't go away.

 _Focus, Suzaku, this is what you wanted, for one, and Lelouch trusts you, for another. You can't betray that trust,_ Suzaku told himself firmly and forced himself to adopt a mask of neutrality.

He already knew there as going to be a bad reaction among the nobles when they found out that Lelouch had chosen an Honorary Britannian to be his knight. So he would have to be perfect; he would have to show the Britannian nobles that he was worthy of the honor Lelouch was bestowing upon him.

No matter how hard that was going to be, he would do it.

 **. . .**

It was a few minutes before two when Lelouch finally made his appearance in the ballroom where the Knighting Ceremony would take place, his gold-trimmed black cloak sweeping around his feet as he moved purposely toward the throne at the front of the ballroom. He briefly spotted Schneizel sitting beside Nunnally who was happily chatting with him and his lips twisted just a little bit; with an assassin who'd tried to kill Nunnally still on the loose, Lelouch had been very reluctant to allow Nunnally to attend the ceremony, despite initially believing it would be safe enough. After much convincing from Nunnally, and promises form his Royal Guard that they'd watch out for her, he finally agreed.

It wasn't as if he really could say no to his little sister anyway.

Clovis was also there, naturally, as was General Andon and Diethard was standing at the back of the room, video camera already in position on his shoulder as he prepared to 'document' the Knighting Ceremony.

He even spotted Kallen seated in the audience. He made a mental note to track down Kallen during the reception party; he hadn't had a chance to thank her personally for warning Nunnally about the assassination attempt.

Lloyd and Cecile were also there, the two heads of the A.S.E.E.C. were seated a few rows down from where Schneizel was in the first row.

Reaching the head of the ballroom, he sat down on the throne and waited. The ceremony was due to begin any minute now and Lelouch could hear people talking about who he had chosen to be his Knight of Honor. He had to stop himself from smirking. _They are in for a shock,_ he thought as the ceremony began.

Everyone stood and turned as one when the doors to the ballroom swung open and Suzaku was revealed.

Lelouch resisted the urge to smirk again at the looks of utter shock that dominated the face of everyone presence. The only ones who didn't seem shocked, who didn't already know, were Diethard and Schneizel; Diethard figuring it out was a bit of a surprise but he wasn't at all surprised that Schneizel had, somehow, figured it out. If anything, Nunnally probably told him without realizing she'd told him. Clovis was certainly in shock; his jaw was dropped and his eyes were wide. It was only a quick look from Schneizel that prompted him to close his mouth.

Once the surprise started fading away, Lelouch could hear the whispers between the nobles as Suzaku continued his walk to the head of the ballroom.

"He chose an Eleven?"

"That damn Eleven must have conned him into doing it. There's no way the Demon Prince would, otherwise, chose a worthless Eleven as his Knight."

"Damn monkey should've just remained an expendable rather than tarnishing the Demon Prince's image."

"He's so worthless."

"Or, could it be that the prince actually swings that way?"

"You idiot! Don't say that so loud unless you want the Demon Prince's wrath down on your head."

"Tch, that damned monkey."

To Suzaku's credit, he didn't so much as flinch from the insults that were being thrown his way. Lelouch, on the other hand, was getting more and more irritated with the constant insults but he forced himself to ignore them. He just reminded himself that what the nobility were saying wasn't important and so he didn't have to listen to it.

Suzaku came to a stop at the head of the ballroom and Lelouch stood up, walking over to join the Honorary Britannian as he knelt down, crossing a fist over his heart and meeting Lelouch's gaze with calm, determined emerald-green orbs.

"Suzaku Kururugi, do you swear to uphold the virtues of loyalty, compassion, truthfulness, and generosity?" he began with calm, amethyst eyes and an even voice.

"I do," Suzaku replied evenly.

"Do you swear to protect and defend those who are unable to defend and protect themselves?"

"I do."

As the first part of the ceremony ended, Suzaku grasped the hilt of his sword and withdrew it, holding it out, hilt first, for Lelouch to take, one hand resting under the blade with the tip pointed at his heart.

Lelouch stretched out a hand and grasped the hilt of the sword as he went on with the rest of the ceremony.

"Do you swear to protect and defend me with your life should it be necessary?"

"I do."

"Do you swear your allegiance to me as my Knight of Honor?"

"I do."

There was no hesitation whatsoever in Suzaku's voice as he made the two most important vows of the ceremony and his eyes held resolution in their depths.

Lelouch remained calmly expressionless, though he was hiding the sense of satisfaction within, as he stated in a calm, clear voice, "Then I, Lelouch vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince of the Holy Empire of Britannia, do dub thee,"—he lifted up the blade and gently rested the flat of it on Suzaku's right shoulder and, lifting it over his head, rested on his left shoulder—"Sir Suzaku Kururugi, Knight of Honor and vassal of the house of vi Britannia."

There was pure silence from the crowd as Lelouch calmly handed the sword back to Suzaku who took it and swiftly slid it back into its scabbard before, at Lelouch's gesture, he stood up and turned around to face the crowd.

Cheering started almost immediately from a certain, very happy brown-haired princess.

Nunnally was clapping, a wide, happy smile on her beaming face. She was quickly joined by Schneizel who clapped politely, though his gaze was fixed on Lelouch, studying him. Tadashi, Rayne, Lila, Kay, and Dimitri started clapping as well and Jeremiah reluctantly joined in. Lloyd and Cecile also joined in, the latter of whom had a look of motherly pride on her face. Eventually, the rest of the nobles started to join in, though it was clear that they weren't happy about it.

But he honestly didn't care what the nobility thought. If they weren't happy with his decision, so what? It was his decision and everyone knew that once a Knight was chosen and Knighted, it could not be changed. And, while Lelouch knew his reputation was going to take a hit, he didn't care.

 **. . .**

 _Ballroom, Student Council Clubhouse_

Later that day, the reception party that Clovis had organized was in full swing. While Clovis, himself, hadn't been happy with Lelouch's choice of knight, he still made good on his promise to organize the reception party. There weren't quite as many people as Schneizel thought there would be though, given that it was a party organized by _Clovis._ He had a feeling Lelouch had something to do with that.

He watched as Lelouch spoke quietly with the red-haired daughter of Earl Stadtfeld, thanking her for warning Nunnally and saving Nunnally's life.

Schneizel sipped at his wine, also watching as the party continued, even if an aqua-haired girl who was working with the dark-green haired girl didn't seem particularly happy. Schneizel then noticed the way the girl was glaring at _Nunnally_ , rather than Lelouch, and frowned a little to himself, not knowing what to make of that. He kept it in mind, though as he turned his gaze away from that girl and studied his brother's new Knight.

Lelouch walked over to join him, a glass in his own hand as he came to a stop next to the White Prince of Britannia.

"I must admit, I was surprised by your choice, Lelouch," he said, turning his attention away from the new Knight who was talking with Nunnally and a couple of Lelouch's friends from Ashford.

Lelouch hummed but didn't answer.

"Why an Eleven?" Schneizel asked.

"He deserved it," Lelouch said simply.

"Oh? How so?"

"For one, he has saved my life more times than I can count and, for another, I trust him far more than I trust a lot of people," Lelouch said.

Schneizel hummed. He knew that Lelouch rarely ever gave his trust to anyone. He didn't know what Kururugi had done to earn Lelouch's trust but was clear that he had. "The reputation you have managed to gather is going to take a hit with this," he said.

"I know," Lelouch said.

"Fortunately, it will not affect you much. You may not know this but your reputation after defeating the Liberators increased so much that you having an Eleven as your Knight will probably not even dent it," Schneizel added. He knew that was primarily because of the media's spin on the story since he knew, from the report itself, that the victory at Sapporo was not nearly as brutal as the media painted it as. He was sure Lelouch knew that as well but was just letting the media paint that reputation about him, and was likely going to ensure that he actually lived up to that reputation. What better way to prove himself useful to the Emperor after all and, though Schneizel knew of how much his brother loathed the Emperor, he would do anything to prove himself useful to the Emperor to keep Nunnally safe.

And actually living up to the reputation of the Demon Prince as painted by the media would definitely accomplish that.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing.

"Lulu!" Shirley called and Lelouch and Schneizel turned to find the beautiful orange-haired girl jog toward them. She paused when she came to a stop in front of them and, flushing in embarrassment, quickly bowed. "Oh, um, I mean, Your Highness..."

"Relax, Shirley. I've already told you that you don't have to call me that. Was there something you needed?" Lelouch asked.

"Oh, um, well, it's just that...erm..." Shirley stammered out, looking flustered before she finally blurted out, "willyoudancewithme?"

Lelouch blinked. "I didn't quite catch that, Shirley," he said.

"Um...er..." Shirley looked like she was about to bolt.

Schneizel's lips quirked into a slight smile. "I believe the young lady would like you to dance with her, brother," he said.

Shirley's face went red but she neither confirmed nor denied Schneizel's words.

Lelouch smiled a little as he held out a hand. "I'd be honored to dance with you, Shirley," he said.

Shirley's cheeks were still red but she rested her hand in Lelouch's and he guided her onto the dance floor as the song changed from a fast, upbeat song to a slower one.

Schneizel watched impassively as his thoughts drifted to his own plan. Lelouch's Knight wouldn't pose that big of a problem for his plan but Schneizel resolved to keep an eye on him just in case.

 **. . .**

Shirley could still feel the blush heating up her cheeks as she and Lelouch danced across the floor. She was resting against him, her head pillowed on his chest and her arms around his neck while his arms were resting on her lower back as they danced to the soft music that echoed in the background. She could hear Lelouch's heartbeat and his gentle breathing and found it rather relaxing, a soft smile on her face.

She lifted her head off Lelouch's chest. "Thank you," she said.

"For what?" Lelouch asked, looking down at her with puzzled amethyst eyes.

"For agreeing to dance with me, Lulu," the orangette said.

Lelouch gave her a little smile that caused her stomach to fill with butterflies. Why did he have to have such a beautiful smile? "Anytime, Shirley," he said. "By the way, I'm thinking that we can have our date next Friday."

"Uhh, sure, yeah, that sounds great," Shirley said, flushing. _Gees, what happened to act like myself?_ She thought.

The song ended and Shirley stepped back, looking up at Lelouch who was watching her curiously. Before she could realize what she was doing and stop herself, Shirley leaned forward and pressed her lips against Lelouch's.

Lelouch blinked in surprise but, to Shirley's own surprise, he gently kissed her back. She let out a small gasp, which allowed Lelouch to deepen the kiss just a little, and she found her eyes fluttering shut as she leaned into the kiss.

She quickly yanked back, eyes wide and cheeks red as she realized what she just did. "I...I'm sorry," she blurted out, ripping herself from Lelouch's arms and bolting in the opposite direction, leaving a bewildered prince behind.

 **. . .**

Lelouch watched Shirley run off in bewilderment. He wasn't entirely sure why Shirley was apologizing or why she'd just bolted like that.

"You know she likes you, right?"

Lelouch blinked and turned to find Rayne standing at his side, watching the orange-haired girl run off with faint amusement in her eyes. "What?" he said.

Rayne gave him a long look. "She likes you, probably loves you," she said. "I saw the way she looked at you, Lelouch. And the way you looked at her while you were dancing, it's clear that you feel something for her too. Right?"

Lelouch was silent for a long moment as he turned to where Shirley ended up running into Milly who was now teasing her. His mind drifted to that kiss, to the feel of Shirley's soft lips pressed against his own, to the way that kiss made him feel. He couldn't describe it at all and yet he found that he wanted to hold Shirley like that again. Was Rayne right? Did he feel the same way for Shirley as she did for him?

"You love her," Rayne said matter-of-factly.

"I..." Did he?

"You're either just too stubborn or to blind, and I'm willing to bet it's the latter, to see it for yourself. Just go and spend time with her, Lelouch, and I'm sure you'll open your eyes to what you truly feel," Rayne said and shoved him in the direction Shirley had gone.

He stumbled forward and glowered at her but she just gave him a smirk and gestured for him to go, that smirk fading into a look of reassurance.

He frowned but turned toward where Shirley was still being teased by Milly and decided that he might as well.

He certainly didn't know if he really did love Shirley or, perhaps, it was just as Rayne said and he was blind to what he truly felt.

But maybe Rayne was right and maybe if he spent some more time with Shirley, he could finally figure out just what he felt for the beautiful orange-haired girl.

 **. . .**

(1) _The Tales of Geass_ will have a oneshot depicting these introductions in an extended scene. I couldn't fit it in this chapter (it was already getting too long).

(2) I kinda pictured this as, somewhat, like Suzaku's Knight of Zero outfit.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: well, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I added a little bit into Schneizel's thought process close to the end there, as well as in Diethard's POV, to explain Lelouch's sudden reputation and why it was created as soon as it was**

 **Bakura: who cares?**

 **Blaze: you're annoying**

 **Suzaku: wasn't there something else you wanted to say?**

 **Blaze: right. I'm wondering. In light of the fact that I am less than thirteen chapters away from finishing the prewritten chapters** **of this story...y** **eah, yeah,** **I know, I know, I didn't finish it before the end of May. The last few weeks of May were hectic what with getting used to my new job and all that...um, where was I going with this?**

 **Lelouch: your other CG story**

 **Blaze: right. I am going to post a new CG story this Sunday (not tomorrow or Saturday since I'm working long days tomorrow and Saturday) and, right now,** _ **Fall Into Dusk**_ **is the one that I am furthest in, in terms of prewritten chapters, but it's also my most complicated one, which is why I am hesitant about posting it until I have revised it and smoothed out plot holes.** _ **The New Revolution**_ **is only five and a half chapters into it but I am working on that as well but it also is not quite that smooth either. In other words, both of them will be in need of edits and revision (similar to how _RotBK_ is being revised as it's being posted).**

 **Luciano: (still falling) get to the freaking point!**

 **Kallen: (peers over the edge of the cliff) I think he's realized that he's never going to stop falling**

 **Suzaku: probably**

 **Blaze: anyway, my point is which story should I post the first chapter of on Sunday?** _ **Fall Into Dusk**_ **or** _ **The New Revolution?**_ **I'm undecided so I'd like my reviewer's opinion so let me know please?**

 **Lelouch: nonetheless, Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated. She will post the next chapter on Sunday at around the same time that she posts the first chapter of her new CG fic.**

 **Suzaku: so, until then, thank you for reading!**


	29. The Declaration of Nightfall

**Welp, only three people actually voted in the last chapter and two people were in favor of _Fall Into Dusk_ whereas only one was in favor of _The New Revolution_ ; therefore, I will be posting the first chapter of _Fall Into Dusk_ after I post this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it.**

 **Anyway, thank you to _Shadow-Shinobi666, Scrapper123, DYnoJackal19, OBSERVER01, agarfinkel, Adamantium-Soldier74, Doommajor, Blacksword Zero, DarthMaine, B-Kira, anand891996,_ and _Scarease_ for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are great!**

 **Well, here is the last chapter of this arc, the last chapter before the dreaded chapter 30, and cliffhanger ending! Fair warning.**

 **Bakura: shouldn't you have said that _before_ you said there was a cliffhanger?**

 **Maybe. Eh, it's not that bad of a cliffhanger...well...sort of anyway. Oh and one more thing, Ashford Academy is going to be a year-round school so they, technically speaking, do go to school in July (since year-round schools typically don't have as long summer vacations are regular schools do) but they have all of August off.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 _July 25, 2016_

 _Hidden Base, Island of Olkhon_

 _Adeline stepped out of the carrier and immediately saw her furious brother standing there. She cringed, prepared for the lecture she was about to receive as Unity stalked toward her and Nightfall, who had stepped out of the carrier behind her. But she was surprised when Unity bypassed her and went straight for Nightfall._

 _"What. The. Hell, Nightfall?" he hissed in fury._

 _Nightfall raised an eyebrow. "I thought we already cleared the air 'bout your kid sister," he said._

 _"That's not what I'm upset about," Unity said flatly, folding his arms across his chest. "Reyes and Michal told me about you going against my orders regarding the prince."_

 _"Tch, that fucker is just trying to get me in trouble," Nightfall huffed._

 _Adeline blinked. "But you told them point blank that you called dibs on killing the prince," she said in confusion._

 _Nightfall whirled around to give her a venomous glare. She gulped and bolted to hide behind her big brother; Unity placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as he glared at Nightfall.  
"What part of 'I want the prince _alive _' did you not understand?" he snapped._

 _"The part that requires me keeping the enemy_ alive _," Nightfall spat back, fury on his face. "I may enjoy killing, and I can't lie and say I didn't enjoy trying to kill that little fucker, but I was doing a_ good thing _for the Liberators. Our defeat"—his lip twisted in irritation at that—"at his hands is proof that he is much too dangerous to be left alive!"_

 _"And I've already told you that having someone like Prince Lelouch on our side would only help our cause," Unity hissed causing Adeline to blink. She hadn't know that._

 _"But you fail to realize that Prince Lelouch ain't never gonna turn against Britannia!" Nightfall shouted._

 _"How do you know that? You don't know anything about him.  
"Neither do you!"_

 _"I know more than you do._ I _didn't spend the last year in the Chinese Federation doing who knows what."_

 _"Is that what this is all about? I have my own fucking reasons for being in the Chinese Federation and, no, I don't have to tell you a fucking thing."_

 _"While I am curious to know why you spent the last year in the Chinese Federation, this is_ not _about that. This is about you disobeying my orders regarding the prince!"_

 _"I don't give a fuck about your orders. He was the enemy commander! I was doing my duty to the Liberators when I attempted to kill him."_

 _"But you disobeyed my orders. I am the leader of the Liberators, Nightfall, not you. We agreed that if I let you kill whoever you wanted, so long as I don't tell you that a certain person is off limits, then you will obey my orders. And I told you that the prince was off limits!"_

 _"We had lost the fucking battle, damn it. I could've dealt a serious blow to Britannia by killing the fucking prince who'd just defeated us!"_

 _"And I didn't want that!"_

 _"What is so fucking special about this prince that you would throw a fucking tantrum just because I tried to kill him? He didn't act at all like you thought he would when we fought by the way."_

 _"Yes, he didn't react as I expected him to react but I wasn't that surprised because it showed more about his character, that he was determined to defeat us, so much so that he was willing to forget, for the moment, about what happened to his little sister. As for why he is special, he is an enigma and I want to know more about him."_

 _"Tch, so that's it? You won't let me kill him because you want to_ learn more about him _? That's fucking ridiculous!"_

 _"It may be but the more information one knows about the enemy, the better they stand the chance at defeating them."  
"You talk about defeating the enemy...I could've defeated the enemy myself without knowing a fucking thing about him! I had him in the palm of my hand. I could've killed him in an instant if it hadn't been for that white knightmare and now you're yelling at me because of that? What the fucking hell is wrong with you? Is this fucker so much more important than the Liberators' cause?"_

 _"Of course not! I just think that we shouldn't automatically assume that the prince needs to die."_

 _"Just because he's an enigma? That is a fucking stupid reason to keep an enemy commander alive!"_

 _"I want to keep him alive because I want to know if it is true that Prince Lelouch truly hates Britannia!"_

 _Adeline's eyes went wide while Nightfall fell silent, brow furrowed in puzzlement._

 _"What the fuck are you talking about? Why do you think the prince hates Britannia?" he demanded._

 _"Just little things that I've noticed with everything I've found out about him so far," Unity said. "It's all pointing to the same thing; that Prince Lelouch, at the very_ least _, holds a strong resentment toward Britannia. And if he does then he might be more willing to support our cause and we would gain a powerful ally."_

 _"Little things? Right." Nightfall scoffed. "You can't paint an accurate picture of the little fucking prince just by gathering little tidbits of information and you most certainly can't determine whether he'll support our cause or not just because of the little tidbits of information that you've found. All you're doing is foolishly attempting to gain an ally and ignoring the danger that he poses while he is_ not _on our side."_

 _"If he is on our side..." Unity began._

 _"That's just it! We don't know that the fucking prince will ever join us. We don't know that he won't but I, for one, am not going to let a dangerous enemy run around just 'cause you think the fucker can be a powerful ally someday."_

 _Unity scowled. "You are to leave Prince Lelouch alone, Nightfall. That is an order," he_ _said firmly_ _._

 _"Fuck your orders! I will kill that little fucking prince and there's not a damn thing you can say to stop me!"_

 **. . .**

 **29**

 **The Declaration of Nightfall**

 _November 25, 2016_

 _Airport, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11_

Stretching her arms above her head, Adeline walked toward the baggage claim of the airport, one hand holding her passport and her ID as she spotted the number of Britannians that were milling around. Reyes was supposed to meet her there but Adeline figured she would have to get through customs first.

As she went through the long line at customs, her thoughts drifted. They were mostly on the Liberators and what was happening within her organization. After she had overheard Nightfall and Unity's argument three days after the Battle of Sapporo, things had started getting worse within the Liberators.

If Adeline was being honest with herself, she would say that the Liberators had, over the course of the past four months, split in half. The leaders of half of the Liberators cells worldwide supported Nightfall's view on what to do with Prince Lelouch while the other half supported Unity's. And there was a lot of bickering between the two allies over what to do with the Demon Prince.

So far, Nightfall hadn't made any move to fulfill the promise he'd made to Unity after that argument, when he declared that he was going to kill the Demon Prince. Right now, he seemed to be occupying his time with destroying Britannians in the other areas and had been doing that for the past four months.

On the front, they remained united, though. Adeline knew that was only done because if the world found out that the Liberators were fighting amongst themselves then they might use that to their advantage. And that was not something either Unity or Nightfall wanted; that was one thing that they both agreed upon. So they remained united in public even as they continued to bicker and fight amongst themselves in private.

It was because of this that Adeline found herself in Tokyo. After getting scolded for sneaking onto the carrier and participating in the Battle of Sapporo, Adeline thought that her big brother would never let her leave her room, let alone help out with the Liberators. But, a week ago, when they'd watched the Knighting Ceremony of Suzaku Kururugi that had been broadcast worldwide, Unity decided that he had a job for her.

She was to infiltrate Ashford Academy and try to find as much information as she possibly could on the Demon Prince, his sister, and his new Knight of Honor. She knew that she'd be able to spy on Nunnally easily enough; everyone knew that the princess attended Ashford after that failed assassination attempt.

That was another thing that Unity wanted her to do. Try to find who tried to assassinate the princess and, if possible, deliver that news to the prince himself. Adeline had been confused by that but Unity assured her that it was all part of his plan and so she agreed.

She'd been tutored for most of her life after the incident that resulted in the scar on her shoulder so, at the very least, she wouldn't be behind. She had turned fifteen though so she'd be in the high school division but she was sure she'd still be able to gather information. Still, she hadn't gone to an actual school since she was a kid so she wasn't entirely sure just how it would work but she would do it.

She finally got through customs and left the airport, looking around for Reyes. The survivors of Michal's cell had retreated back to their original base and gone to ground on Unity's orders. They didn't have much to do since their cell had really been annihilated at Sapporo; there was no denying that. There were only four survivors, well, actually, five but Snows had been killed at Hirosaki; she, Michal, Reyes, and Nightfall were the only survivors that were still alive.

Adeline spotted a sign being held above the head of a dark-haired man dressed in black slacks and a red button-up shirt: _Adeline Pelletier._ She walked toward it, dragging the luggage she'd brought with her.

"Adeline?" Reyes, she recognized the voice in an instant, said.

"Yeah, that's me. You must be Al," Adeline said.

"Yes. C'mon. The car's parked out front," Reyes said and turned around as he tucked the sign under his arm.

Adeline followed him and the two of them climbed into the back of the car, the driver shutting it behind them before he slipped into the driver's seat. Turning in her seat as the car started up and pulled away from the airport, Adeline asked, "Just how were you able to get this all together?"

Reyes smiled a little. "It helps that the only ones who'll recognize me are that terrorist cell in the Shinjuku Ghetto and they've been scattered since their leader's death," he said and grimaced a little. "I'm still trying to track 'em down. Unity wasn't happy with me for leaving them when those Britannians showed up during the meeting."

"So where am I staying?" Adeline asked before Reyes could go off on a tangent.

He glanced at her. "I have a friend who's willing to house you while you attend Ashford," he said. "You may not know this but I'm actually half-Britannian."

"What?" Adeline blinked surprised. "So you're like me?" She'd always known she was half-Britannian, though she didn't know who her real father was. She'd only ever known Unity and he was the one that raised her since their mother had died when she was really young.

Reyes nodded. "Half-Britannian, half-Mexican. Mom was Mexican, Dad was Britannian. I actually grew up a bit in Pendragon and met Lucy when we were both children. I've told her that you're my cousin and need a place to stay due to family problems and she's agreed to take you in. She has a daughter around your age and I highly suggest you become friends with that girl."

"Why?" Adeline asked curiously.

"She's a member of Prince Lelouch's Royal Guard. Also, it might not be such a bad idea to show off some of your skills; gain her trust and, in turn, attempt to gain the prince's trust. If you have the prince's trust, spying on him will be easier."

Adeline pressed her lips together as she thought about her brother's second set of orders. "Could that be why brother wants me to find out who tried to kill Princess Nunnally?" she asked.

"Probably so," Reyes said with a nod. "If you tell Prince Lelouch who tried to kill Princess Nunnally, that may go a long way of securing his trust in you."

"All right," Adeline said. She pressed her lips together, then asked, "How are things going with Nightfall?" She'd been on a plane ride for the past couple of days, journeying from the Europia United to Area 11, and the last thing she'd heard was Nightfall aiding a Liberator cell in taking out a portion of the 5th Division in Area 5.

"Nothing beyond what happened in Area 5 but I ain't putting nothin' past that bastard," Reyes growled and squeezed his eyes shut. "We're managing to maintain a united front in public but…if that damn _idiota_ keeps on doing what he's doing, I fear that we won't be able to keep it a secret for much longer."

"Maybe if we can prove that Unity's right about Prince Lelouch then, maybe, Nightfall will come around," Adeline suggested.

"It's possible, I suppose, but I'm not holding my breath."

 **. . .**

 _Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement_

"You look beautiful," Milly said with a grin as she stepped back and Shirley turned around to look at herself in the mirror. She smiled to herself as she smoothed the dress; it was a pale-pink dress with darker-pink straps, a dark-pink belt around her waist, and dark-pink lace covering her cleavage. The skirt of the dress, itself, was also dark pink and she also had black stockings underneath to protect against the cold since it was going to be chilly.

She took the shawl that Milly handed her and wrapped it around her shoulders and then grabbed her purse, taking a deep breath. "I still don't know where we're going," she admitted, turning to Milly as she slung her purse's strap on her right shoulder.

"He's probably keeping it a surprise," Milly said with a smirk.

"Are you sure that I'm not overdressed, Milly?"

"You're fine, Shirley. Even if you are, you'll definitely make an impression, not that you didn't already when he came back to Tokyo," the blonde girl said with a grin and Shirley blushed brightly.

"I...I didn't...I mean...I..." She stammered out. She hadn't meant to do that. She'd just reacted when she saw Lelouch and hugged him; she had not meant to knock him down and she certainly hadn't meant to end up in that position.

"I'm just teasing, Shirley," Milly soothed, patting her shoulder. "C'mon, Lelouch should be arriving any minute now."

"Um, right," Shirley said and followed the blonde out of the room. They headed out of the dorm room and across the campus toward the entrance to the school. It was late evening but, just like last time Shirley had gone on a date with Lelouch, there were people wandering around but, like last time, they quickly found somewhere else to be upon seeing Milly's glare.

They walked out of the gates and Lelouch, with his Knight Suzaku standing beside him, glanced toward her, a smile crossing his face as he pushed away from the limo. He walked over to join her, holding out a hand. "You look as beautiful as ever, Shirley," he said, lifting the hand that Shirley had placed in his and gently kissing the back of it.

"T...Thank you," Shirley stammered out, her cheeks red.

"My prince, we should get moving," Suzaku said from behind them, giving Shirley a gentle smile in greeting.

"Bye Shirley, Lelouch, have a good time," Milly said with a wink and jogged off, cackling while Shirley went red, Lelouch just blinked at the blonde girl, and Suzaku started snickering a little, only to stop when Lelouch glared at him.

He guided Shirley over to the limo and slipped into it with Shirley just behind him. Suzaku climbed in last, taking up a position next to the door and the limo began moving. Shirley turned to Lelouch, who was still holding her hand, she realized.

"Where're we going?" she asked curiously.

Lelouch smiled back at her. "It's a surprise," he said.

 **. . .**

 _Gardens, Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement_

Lelouch guided Shirley into the Viceroy's Palace, inclining his head in greeting to his Royal Guard and heading toward the stairs while Shirley gazed around with wide eyes. "T...This is the Viceroy's Palace," she gasped, turning to Lelouch. "Why're we here, Lulu?"

Lelouch smiled at him. "You'll see," he said. "Lila, go and tell the cooks to get everything ready. Jeremiah, please inform Clovis that I'll be in the gardens if he needs me, and to not need me for the next few hours."

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah stated firmly before he strode off.

"Yes, Your Highness," Lila said and darted off to the kitchens while Lelouch led the way up the stairs, Suzaku walking on his right side while Shirley was on his left, her arm in the crook of his elbow.

She grimaced. "If I'd known there'd be stairs, I wouldn't have put on heels," she muttered.

Lelouch chuckled. "You can take them off if it will make you feel more comfortable," he said.

Shirley smiled a little. "I think I'll be fine," she said.

"We won't be taking stairs all the way to the gardens though, even I wouldn't want to do that," Lelouch said.

"That's only 'cause you hate exercise," Suzaku put in. "You look a little out of breath as it is."

Lelouch glowered. "Exercise nut," he muttered and Suzaku chuckled.

When they reached the gardens, Shirley stopped, her eyes wide when she saw the beautiful gardens that stretched out in front of her. Lelouch smiled a little at her reaction as he led the way through the foliage. Trees were growing along the edges and bushes dotted with a myriad of different colored flowers dotting the area. Thee was an artificial stream that wound its way across the garden with water lilies floating on its surface and vines coiled around the trunks of the trees.

"This is beautiful," Shirley whispered, turning to Lelouch.

"Yeah. Clovis designed it after the gardens at the Aries Villa, where Nunnally and I grew up," Lelouch said as he led the way over to where he'd set up the picnic he'd planned out.

"That's nice. It must bring back some good memories," Shirley said, following Lelouch deeper into the gardens while Suzaku took up a position near the door within full view of the prince and his date.

"Yeah, it does," Lelouch muttered but then smiled at Shirley when she glanced curiously at him. He sat down on the picnic blanket and patted the spot next to him; she blushed but sat down as well, smoothing her dress.

"If I'd known we'd be having a picnic, I'd have dressed better," she said.

"You look fine, Shirley," Lelouch assured her.

Shirley smiled a little. "So what's for dinner?" she asked to change the subject.

"You said that one of your favorite foods was pasta so I made some for tonight," Lelouch said, gesturing and a couple of maids came into the gardens carrying platters.

"Really? You cooked it? I mean, I know you can cook but..." Shirley broke off and her cheeks went red again with embarrassment.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. Shirley really did blush a lot around him. "I find that homemade meals are better since there's so much more put into it," he said.

"Yeah, I agree," Shirley said, gazing at the plate that had been placed in front of her. Lelouch had decided on simple chicken fettuccine alfredo with a salad tossed in balsamic vinaigrette, which he knew was Shirley's favorite salad dressing, and garlic bread on the side.

"Oh, this looks delicious, Lulu," she said and picked up her fork. She twirled it in the pasta and bit into it, causing some noodles to slap her chin before her yellow-green eyes went wide. She swallowed and said, "Wow, that is the best pasta I've had in a long time."

Lelouch chuckled and handed Shirley a napkin. "You've got some on your chin," he said.

Shirley blushed in embarrassment. "Thanks," she said, taking the napkin and dabbing it on her chin. She put the napkin down and served herself some of the salad, biting into it, her eyes widening. "Oh, I love this salad dressing."

"I know. That's why I included it," Lelouch said, eating his own dinner and smiling a little at the surprise on Shirley's face.

"How'd you know that?" the orangette asked in confusion.

"You mentioned it to Nina when you both thought I was asleep in the middle of class last year," Lelouch said with a shrug. He hadn't been sleeping; he'd just been deep in thought but had still managed to hear that little tidbit.

"Oh. Sorry."

"What for?"

The orangette looked down as she swallowed a bite of her salad. "Well, I guess for harping on you so much for sleeping through classes or skipping classes like you did," she said. "I mean, you shouldn't have skipped classes but I guess I shouldn't..."

"Shirley," Lelouch said, stretching out his free hand and placing it on Shirley's free hand. "Whenever you did that, it simply showed that you cared and I understood that and I do thank you for being willing to look out for me like that."

Shirley blushed. "Y...You're welcome," she said. She bit her lip, then asked, "Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm? Sure."

"Why did you keep skipping classes like that to go gamble? I mean, it made it seem like you have a gambling problem. Um, do you?"

Lelouch chuckled and went back to eating. "No, I don't have a gambling problem. I'm just good enough at chess to make a pretty decent amount every time I play against nobles who think they're the best chess players out there," he said. "I did it for Nunnally, Shirley. The Ashfords took care of us and provided for us when we first arrived here after the invasion but they'd fallen on rough times when they fell from grace following my mother's assassination. I didn't want to burden them with having to support me and Nunnally and since I didn't technically exist and I couldn't risk anyone finding out I was still alive, I couldn't get a job so I took up gambling. It allowed me to not only provide for Nunnally but also pay the Ashfords back for everything they'd done for me and Nunnally."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," Shirley said and the two of them fell silent.

"So, Shirley, what do you plan on doing after you graduate?" Lelouch asked, deciding to break the silence.

Shirley frowned to herself. "I haven't really thought about it," she admitted. "But...I'd like to go to college and, maybe, go into medical school."

"So you want to be a doctor?" Lelouch asked.

"Yeah. I just like the idea of helping others, you know," Shirley said.

"Lila is planning on going to college and medical school after her term in the military ends," Lelouch commented, remembering how Lila had come to him during the trek back to Tokyo and told him about her decision before respectfully asking permission to do so when her term was over. He'd agreed, telling her that she was always welcomed back to his Royal Guard after she graduated medical school if she wanted to.

"I thought she was part of your Royal Guard?" Shirley said.

"She is but she asked me for permission to leave when her term in the military ends. Who am I to stand in the way of someone and their dreams?" Lelouch said. He served himself some salad as he asked, "So can I ask you something, Shirley?"

"Sure thing, Lulu."

"When did Tara join the Student Council?"

Shirley frowned, looking confused but the dark look on Lelouch's face was enough to get her talking. He was still pretty convinced of just who Tara was; at the very least, since she had the same eyes as the person from the museum, there was a chance it was her, or she could be related to the person who shot at his sister.

"She joined on the 14th of July," Shirley said.

Lelouch stiffened, nearly dropping the fork in his hand. "The 14th?" He repeated, frowning. "As in only _two days_ before the assassination attempt?" He realized his voice had risen when Shirley flinched away from him and quickly calmed down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout at you, Shirley," he said, forcing himself to calm down and placing a hand on Shirley's again. "It's just...I suppose I'm being paranoid. It just seems oddly suspicious that a new student would join the Student Council only two days before a student tried to kill Nunnally." He'd looked through all the reports of the assassination attempt to determine that it was, indeed, someone who was a registered student who had attended the dance Milly had held.

"You don't think...Do you think _Tara_ tried to kill Nunnally?" Shirley said in surprise.

"It's a very definite possibility," Lelouch said, gritting his teeth, his brow furrowing but he pushed the thought away. He was on a date and shouldn't worry about that, at least not right now. He turned to Shirley who was watching him in concern and gave her a small smile. "I'm sorry. I just..."

"No, I understand," Shirley said. "You just want to know who tried to kill Nunnally. It's all right."

The two of them fell silent and Lelouch, pushing all thoughts of Tara and the assassination attempt made on his little sister aside for the time being, thought about something else and his lips quirked. "Suzaku?" he called.

"Yes, my prince?" Suzaku asked, walking forward with his cloak swirling around his ankles.

"Go and ask someone to go get those pictures from Akita for me," Lelouch said.

Suzaku's lips quirked but he bowed. "Yes, my prince," he said and walked off.

"What pictures?" Shirley asked confused.

"You'll see. I think you'll find them amusing," Lelouch said with a smirk. "While we're waiting, do you want to hear about some things that happened while I was out of town?"

"Like what?"

"Well, there was the time that Rayne saw a snake and knocked her brother Kay into a fountain when she leapt away from it," Lelouch commented. "And the most recent incident involved Rayne too. You've gotta see the pictures. It explains it much better than I can." His lips curved into an amused smirk and his amethyst eyes shone with amusement.

Suzaku walked over to join them a few minutes later, holding out the packet of pictures, looking amused.

"Thank you, Suzaku," Lelouch said, taking the packet and searching through them for the specific pictures as Suzaku inclined his head in acknowledgment and returned to his spot by the door.

When he found the pictures, he pulled them out and handed them to Shirley. She took them and looked at them, her eyes widening and then she started giggling as she flipped through the pictures, her giggles turned into laughter when she saw the picture of Rayne practically buried under a group of dogs.

"Poor Rayne," she gasped with tears of amusement in her eyes.

"Dogs really do love her," Lelouch said and started snickering as well at the memory. He may not have witnessed it personally but it was still very amusing to see the pictures of it.

Shirley laughed. "Yeah, I guess they do," she said.

 **. . .**

 _November 26, 2016_

 _Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy_

"Whoa, this place is huge," Adeline whispered, gazing around as she followed the blonde girl that had met her at the gates of Ashford Academy. Behind her walked Lucy and Caleb Moore, the two with whom she'd be living while she attended Ashford; they had decided to enroll her right away and thus she found herself being given a tour of the entire campus.

Milly Ashford, the blonde president of the Student Council, smiled as she gestured to the clubhouse. "This belongs to the Student Council," she said, leading the way into the ballroom. "This is where we usually have our meetings. So if ya wanna join the Student Council, ya can. You need to join a club anyway and the Student Council can always use new members."

"Are you dragging another poor new girl into the Student Council again, Milly?" a blue-haired boy said in amusement as he stepped into the ballroom.

"Why not?" Milly said with a pout and the blue-haired boy chuckled a little, looking anywhere but at the blonde girl. "Where's everyone else, Rivalz?"

"Nina's with Nunnally, Kallen's with Tara, and Shirley's talking with Lelouch on the phone," Rivalz said with a shrug.

Milly grinned. "Ohh, someone's got a boyfriend," she said in a singsong voice.

"He's not my boyfriend!" An orange-haired girl cried as she stepped into the ballroom, her phone held against her ear.

"And I think you might've just broken your boyfriend's eardrum," Milly added cheerfully.

Shirley blushed and quickly mumbled an apology into the phone and then nodded. "Okay. I'll see you then. Okay. Bye," she said and hung up. "Lulu sends his greetings. He's swamped with paperwork; otherwise, he would've come by to visit."

"Well, I guess I'll have to introduce Adeline to him later," Milly said.

"So you know Prince Lelouch?" Adeline asked, trying to keep her voice casual.

Milly nodded. "We've been friends for a while," she said. "Shirley, there, is Lelouch's girlfriend."

"No, I'm not!" Shirley cried.

"Okay, okay, Shirley's Lelouch's girlfriend but neither of them are willing to admit it," Milly said.

"Madam President," Shirley whined, her cheeks red and Adeline couldn't help but smile a little in amusement.

A dark-green haired girl pushing a wheelchair on which was a sandy-brown haired young woman whose eyes were closed entered the ballroom. They were followed by an armed woman that Adeline figured was a bodyguard. _That must mean this is Princess Nunnally,_ she thought. "Oh, I didn't realize we had guests," the dark-green-haired girl said softly.

"This is Adeline Pelletier. She's a new student and a new member of the Student Council," Milly said brightly.

Adeline blinked. She hadn't exactly said that she was going to join but she decided that she might as well; if these people were friends with Prince Lelouch then this might be her chance to get close to him and find out more about him.

"Hello," she greeted them politely.

"Hi Adeline, I'm Nunnally. I'm not a member of the council. I'm an honorary member," Nunnally said with a faint smile as she held out a hand toward Adeline.

Adeline moved forward but stopped when the bodyguard stepped in front of Nunnally, watching her with narrowed eyes. She held her hands in front of her to show that she didn't have anything on her.

"Briana, you can let her by. Sorry about Briana," Nunnally said as her bodyguard, frowning, stepped back but kept her eyes fixed on Adeline. "She's good at her job and everyone's been kinda paranoid recently."

"Yeah, I read about what happened on the news," Adeline as a red-haired girl and an aqua-haired girl walked into the ballroom. "I hope they find the assassin soon. I can't believe someone would try to kill you." She shook her head, causing golden hair to fly into her face. She really couldn't believe someone would try to kill a blind, disabled girl.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories," she added as she took Nunnally's hand and shook it in greeting.

"It's okay," Nunnally assured her. "This is Nina, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Nina," Adeline greeted her.

"Y...You too," Nina said shyly, looking a bit wary.

"So who's this?" the red-head asked as Adeline returned to stand with the Moores.

"Adeline. She's another new student," Milly said.

"We just keep getting new students," Rivalz commented in amusement. "First there was Kallen and then Tara and now Adeline? Man, we keep getting girls. When's a guy new student gonna start here?"

"You're just saying that 'cause us girls outnumber you," Milly said with a grin.

"Since Lelouch left, I'm the only guy left," Rivalz whined.

Adeline giggled and turned to the red-haired girl and the aqua-haired girl. The first stretched out a hand. "Kallen Stadtfeld," she said meekly and Adeline took her hand and shook it, noticing that, for a seemingly meek girl, she had a strong grip.

"Tara Archer," the aqua-haired girl said with a cheerful smile as she took Adeline's hand next.

"Bitch," Kallen muttered just loud enough for Adeline to hear.

Tara also heard and responded by slamming a foot on Kallen's foot causing her to hiss in pain and glare at Tara who just smiled a fake sweet smile back at her. Kallen looked like she wanted to strangle the aqua-haired girl, her meek facade seemed to crack a little but she quickly managed to repair it before anyone, but Adeline, noticed.

Adeline had only noticed because she'd been looking right at Kallen. She mused that if Tara had done that to her, she probably would have decked her.

"Well, since you're the new girl, why don't we throw a party to welcome you like we did with Kallen and Tara?" Milly suggested.

"A out-of-the-blue party? That sounds like you all right, Milly," Shirley said with a faint smile.

"Is that, um, a really good idea? I mean, with the budget…" Nina began.

"Oh, yeah, right, I'd forgotten about that," Milly said sheepishly. "Speaking of that, c'mon, you guys, we've gotta balance the budget today!"

Nunnally smiled in Adeline's direction. "Since you're new, I don't think Milly's gonna make you do anything so do you wanna make origami cranes with me?" she asked.

"Oh, uh, sure, but I don't really know how," Adeline admitted.

"That's okay! I can teach you," Nunnally said with a bright smile that Adeline found contagious. She smiled back even though she knew the princess couldn't see her.

 _Well, it seems like things are going okay and everyone's so nice,_ she thought as she followed Nunnally and the rest of the Student Council into the meeting room.

 **. . .**

 _November 27, 2016_

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

Lelouch was more than a little thankful that he actually got Sunday off. If he'd known of just how much paperwork was associated with being a Sub-Viceroy, he would have found someway out of it. Thankfully, he and Jeremiah found someone to dump most of the paperwork on and only had to focus on the more important documents that graced his desk. Clovis also let him have Sunday to visit Nunnally.

Now Lelouch and Suzaku were heading toward the meeting room within the Student Council Clubhouse, Lelouch's thoughts were on Tara and the fact that he'd recognized her eyes. He knew that he was likely jumping to conclusions and knew that he couldn't exactly question her; if she was the one responsible for what happened at the museum then she would never admit it.

It sometimes made Lelouch wish that he could make her tell him the truth.

 _Hmph, wishful thinking,_ he thought as he and Suzaku walked into the meeting room.

Lelouch stopped because there was another newcomer seated at the table, tongue sticking out of her teeth as she struggled to fold the origami paper in her hand while Nunnally patiently told her what to do. Kallen was writing in a notebook and sorting through the papers that Milly was handing her. Shirley and Rivalz were also going through their own paperwork and Nina was, as usual, at her computer. Tara was staring at the paper in front of her as if it was written in an alien language.

"Milly, did you drag in yet another stray to become your minion?" Lelouch asked finally, breaking the silence and smirking when everyone jumped.

"Lulu, where did you come from?" Shirley exclaimed.

"Through the door," Lelouch deadpanned as he made his way deeper into the room.

"Smartass," Milly huffed.

"I'm surprised you're doing paperwork on a Sunday," Lelouch commented, raising an eyebrow. "Is your new Vice President slacking? I usually had it done before Sunday even started."

Kallen tossed a quick glare at Lelouch before ducking her head meekly, but not before Lelouch noticed it.

"You only had it done that quickly so you could skip out on the meeting to go gambling with Rivalz," Shirley pointed out.

"True. So who's your new minion?" Lelouch asked.

Milly rolled her eyes, a faint smile on her lips. "This is Adeline Pelletier, a new student," she said.

"Naturally. Only you would sink your claws into every new student that walks through those gates and drag them into the Student Council," Lelouch said, smirking. "You really do love having minions, don't you?"

Milly grinned. "Of course I do," she said.

Lelouch chuckled and turned to Adeline who stood up.

"It's nice to meet you, Your Highness," she said with a bow.

"It's just Lelouch while I'm here, Adeline, and it's nice to meet you as well," Lelouch replied, holding out a hand and Adeline, blinking, stretched out a hand and shook his.

"So what brings you here, Big Brother?" Nunnally asked.

"Boredom," Lelouch said. "Clovis said I could have the day off and I had nothing better to do so I dragged Suzaku with me and came here."

"He's your Knight. You didn't have to drag him anywhere, Big Brother," Nunnally said with a giggle.

"Not that he could," Suzaku said cheerfully.

"Shut up, Suzaku," Lelouch growled but, as usual, there wasn't any heat in his voice.

Suzaku just smiled but said nothing.

"I've been teaching Adeline how to make origami cranes, Big Brother," Nunnally added, holding up one of the cranes she made.

"That's nice, Nunnally. How many have you made so far?" Lelouch asked curiously.

Nunnally pressed her lips together in thought. "Uhh, I think I'm in the four hundreds right now," she said.

"Wow, that's a lot. Why're you making so many?" Adeline asked, glaring at the piece of origami paper that was creased quite a few times in her hands as if it was its fault she couldn't fold it into a crane.

"'Cause I want my wish granted," Nunnally said. "There's an old Eleven legend that says if someone makes a thousand cranes then their wish is granted."

"What is your wish?" Kallen asked.

Nunnally smiled. "I thought about it a lot and I've decided that I'd wish for a peaceful, gentler world," she said.

Lelouch gazed at Nunnally and clenched his hand into a fist as he looked away. _And such a world will never exist while the bastard Emperor lives,_ he thought.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Adeline frowning at him and relaxed his hand, giving her a mask of puzzled apathy. She blinked and returned her attention to Nunnally. "I like your wish, Nunnally. I'd like to see a world like that myself," she said.

"I think anyone would," Rivalz mused.

"I agree," Lelouch said calmly.

 _And I'm going to give you that world, once I find a way to destroy Britannia while under the bastard Emperor's thumb,_ he thought.

 **. . .**

 _November 30, 2016_

 _Hidden Base, Island of Olkhon_

"Are you sure?" Unity asked.

" _I'm sure, Big Brother,_ " Adeline's voice whispered. " _I saw him clench his fist when he listened to Nunnally's wish but he agrees with it and he sounded sincere. Unfortunately, that's all I've managed to find out. I'm becoming fast friends with the Student Council and Nunnally but the prince is another story entirely._ "

Unity sighed but nodded. "Keep at it, Adi," he said.

" _I will. How are things over there? Has Nightfall tried anything?_ " Adeline asked.

Unity sighed again. "Nothing has changed but I have this feeling Nightfall's going to try something and soon," he said.

" _Will he try to kill the prince?_ "

"I wouldn't put it past him but, thankfully, the prince is protected by both his Royal Guard and his Knight of Honor as well as a hell of a lot of security so he'll have a hard time getting past them to kill the prince. However, he may try something else," Unity said.

" _Like what?_ "

"I don't know and that's what worries me the most." Unity couldn't deny that he was scared of Nightfall; the psychopath was terrifying and even more so when he didn't have any constraints. It was for that reason that Unity tried to keep him on a tight leash but, now that Nightfall has slipped from that leash and gone off on his own, Unity knew that something bad was going to happen.

" _Yeah, I agree. I'll keep trying to find out more about the prince and let you know if I find anything,_ " Adeline said.

"Be careful, Adi," Unity said.

" _I will, Big Brother,_ " Adeline said and hung up.

Unity lowered the phone and closed his eyes, leaning back against his seat, a bad feeling going through him. Something was going to happen and Unity had a feeling it was only going to make things even more complicated and dangerous.

And there was nothing he could do to stop it.

 **. . .**

 _December 18, 2016_

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

 _Damn you, Clovis. What is with you and your damn parties?_ Lelouch thought as he made his way across the ballroom and toward the meeting room within the Student Council Clubhouse with Suzaku trailing behind him. He didn't say anything, probably realizing that Lelouch wasn't in the mood.

He'd just come from a meeting with Clovis who told him that he wanted him to attend the Christmas Ball that he was holding for the nobility and that he wasn't going to take no for an answer, even though Lelouch tried to insist that he had too much to do. And then Clovis had insisted that he needed to bring a date, which was the main reason why Lelouch wasn't happy at the moment.

It wasn't as if it wouldn't be hard for him to find a date—he already knew who he wanted to take—it was the fact that he most certainly didn't want to expose said person to the nobility, to the people lost in their own little worlds. And he certainly didn't want to deal with them himself; he had enough of dealing with them during that party Clovis had thrown when he'd returned from basic training.

The last couple of weeks had gone by rather quickly. Lelouch spent most of it handling his duties as Sub-Viceroy, which was essentially doing everything that Clovis didn't do while watching Clovis to learn just what it took to be Viceroy. He also was dividing his time between that, searching for the assassin that tried to kill Nunnally, trying to figure out if Tara was the girl from the museum, keeping an eye on the terrorist threat, though there didn't seem to be many threats at the moment, thankfully, and trying to spend time with his little sister and his friends at Ashford. Frankly, he was lucky if he was able to manage two hours of sleep a night, and that was only because Suzaku, after finding him crashed out at his desk, practically dragged him to bed to get some sleep.

Even if he wasn't Lelouch's Knight of Honor, the amethyst-eyed prince already knew that Suzaku would've done that anyway, and probably would have enlisted Jeremiah's help to ensure that he got, at least, _some_ rest.

Basically put, in the less than a month it's been since he'd become Sub-Viceroy who was in charge of the terrorist threat, he had become overworked.

Thankfully, the visits with his little sister and friends, as well as the times that his Royal Guard tried to get him to relax and get some fresh air, certainly helped him.

Now if only he could've convinced Clovis to let him out of going to that ball on the 25th.

He'd managed to calm down by the time he reached the meeting room and he and Suzaku walked into it, pausing when he saw what had happened.

Kallen and Tara were both covered in whipped cream. Rivalz was laughing so hard he was on the ground and clutching at his side. Shirley had whipped cream in her hair. Adeline and Milly were holding cans of whipped cream in their hands. Nunnally was giggling by the table while Briana's eye seemed to be twitching since her face was covered with whipped cream and Nina was hiding under her computer desk.

"What in the world happened here?" Lelouch asked bewildered.

Everyone glanced at him as one and Milly and Adeline grinned, shaking their cans of whipped cream.

Lelouch just barely managed to dive out the door and slam it shut behind him before Milly and Adeline released the contents of their whipped cream cans. If he had known that Adeline could be as mischievous as Milly when she wanted to be, he would have tried hard to ensure that they _never_ met each other.

The door opened and Suzaku, scowling with whipped cream on his face and in his hair, stepped out of the room, glaring at him. "You could've taken me with you, my prince," he said irritably.

Lelouch smiled faintly. "Well, consider this payback for the pancake batter incident," he said, smirking as Suzaku went red with embarrassment. He clearly remembered the incident that involved pancake batter and, for some reason, feathers back at the Kururugi Shrine during the time Lelouch and Nunnally had been staying there.

"That...wasn't entirely my fault," Suzaku muttered.

"I know. Kaguya had a hand in it," Lelouch said in amusement. "Are they done?"

"They used the last of the whipped cream on me," Suzaku said with a grumble.

"Good." Lelouch walked into the meeting room, folding his arms across his chest and raising an eyebrow at Milly and Adeline as Suzaku came to his side. "Are you going to tell me what happened here now?" he asked.

"Just having a bit of fun," Milly said.

"With whipped cream?"

"Well, we didn't have any silly string and we ran out of shaving cream," Adeline said with a shrug.

Lelouch sighed. "Wonderful, there are two Milly's," he said.

"At least Adeline isn't as big a pervert as Milly is," Kallen muttered quietly.

"Yet," Milly said with a grin.

Lelouch sighed again. "Milly, don't corrupt Adeline," he said.

Milly pouted.

"So what brings you here, Big Brother?" Nunnally asked.

"Clovis," Lelouch said with a grimace. "He's insisting that I go to the Christmas Ball he holds every year and I have to bring a date."

"Oh." Milly grinned. "Are you going to ask who I think you're going to ask?"

"Who's that?" Adeline asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

Lelouch said nothing in response and, instead, walked around them and headed for Shirley. "Shirley, would you like to go to the Christmas Ball with me?" he asked.

"I knew it," Milly said with a grin.

"It was obvious," Rivalz said, rolling his eyes, a faint smile on his lips.

"M...Me?" Shirley stammered out, eyes wide with shock. "B...But...But I...I'm not noble. Why're you asking me? I'm sure, um, that there are plenty of nobles that could go with you, like Kallen or..."

"Shirley," Lelouch said, taking Shirley's hand in his. Her hand really was soft, even if it was shaking at the moment with nerves. He hadn't really had time to think about his feelings for Shirley, what with all the work that he's been doing, but he just had this feeling of rightness holding Shirley's hand like that. He didn't know how to explain it but he supposed he was starting to finally open his eyes. "I want to go with you."

Shirley's cheeks reddened. "I...I...I would love to go with you, Lulu," she stammered out.

Lelouch smiled. "Wonderful," he said and leaned forward, kissing her gently on the cheek. "I'll pick you up at 7:30 Christmas Day. The party starts at eight."

"R...Right," Shirley stammered out, looking like she was about to faint.

Lelouch let go of her hand and walked back to join Suzaku. "Go and get that whipped cream out of your hair, Suzaku. I'll be fine here for a little bit," he said.

Suzaku frowned at him, clearly not wanting to leave. Even if there were times that he lightened up and relaxed, when they were just surrounded by friends, he really was taking his responsibilities as a Knight of Honor incredibly seriously. "I can take care of it when we get back to the Viceroy's Palace, my prince," he said.

"Fine," Lelouch said, knowing full well that Suzaku would just be stubborn and he really wasn't in the mood to deal with a stubborn Suzaku.

 **. . .**

 _December 25, 2016_

 _Ballroom, Viceroy's Palace_

The ballroom was packed with members of the nobility and decorated with dangling green and red lights on the ceiling. The large windows of the ballroom allowed in little light from outside but the flashes of lightning and claps of thunder outside and the rain that streaked the windows made Kallen glad that she was inside. She still hated it though. She was only there because her bitch of a stepmother and her father had insisted that she be there. She really wanted to be anywhere else; hell, she would rather be back at the Stadtfeld Manor than there. She just hated these kinds of things; at least at the last one, she'd gone to get more information on Prince Lelouch for her brother.

And her brother was gone now.

Kallen recalled the message she'd received from Ohgi a few days earlier, about how Reyes had contacted him stating that he wanted to talk. Ohgi was hesitant about accepting the message and Kallen could understand why. Reyes had left them when General Andon and the Britannians had broke in on their meeting; even though it was Tara that had betrayed them, Kallen still felt betrayed by the Liberators as well because they'd left her and her friends to fend for themselves.

And Naoto had died because of it.

She tightened her grip on her champagne glass but forced herself to relax, though it didn't help that Andon was at the ball. Dressed in his military uniform with all the medals that he'd earned over the years— _just how many brothers and families have you killed or torn apart to earn those medals?—_ pinned on it, Andon was talking with General Bartley and Clovis nearby.

It was a little after eight and people were still arriving. Kallen even spotted Adeline there, walking alongside Lucy and Caleb Moore but had lost sight of her almost immediately.

Kallen, herself, stood out just a bit in her fiery red halter dress with slits that went to the middle of her thighs and red high heels. Her hair was pinned up in a bun with strands falling into her face; her bitch of a stepmother had insisted that she dress that way and Kallen recalled that her bitch of a stepmother wanted her to get Prince Lelouch's attention again.

She scoffed silently. She knew that the prince would be too focused on Shirley to even bother on looking at her. Not that she minded. Yes, the prince wasn't bad looking but Kallen wasn't about to even think about dating a prince of Britannia, her enemy. Besides, it was obvious Shirley was in love with Prince Lelouch and it was also obvious, to Kallen anyway, that the prince felt _something_ for Shirley as well.

The door opened at that moment and the Herald announced, "Announcing the Eleventh Prince, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia," and everyone turned to the doors as Lelouch walked into the ballroom, arm in arm with Shirley. His Knight and his Royal Guard slipped in before taking up positions along the wall of the ballroom.

Kallen had to admit, Shirley looked beautiful. She was dressed in a knee-length forest green halter dress that brought out the green in her yellowish-green eyes over black tights tucked into dark-green high heels. Dark green lace covered her cleavage and an emerald-embedded necklace hung around her neck, resting on top of the lace. Her long, orange hair fell in waves down her back and over her shoulder with her bangs framing her face, clipped back by emerald-embedded star-shaped barrettes. Her eyes stood out due to the faint peach eyeshadow and her lips were glossy with peach-colored lip gloss.

On the arm of the prince, who was dressed in a purple-lined gold-trimmed black overcoat with long, wide gold-trimmed sleeves over a black button-down shirt and black slacks with his dark purple-lined gold-trimmed cloak around his shoulders, she actually looked like a princess.

"Who is that?" her bitch of a stepmother said bewildered.

"I don't know but she sure isn't noble," another noblewoman said.

"Why would he bring a commoner here?" another noblewoman said.

"Tch, I guess he takes after his mother, being the half-commoner he is," yet another noblewoman said.

More and more whispers abounded but if he heard them, Prince Lelouch completely ignored them. Kallen could see that Shirley was trying not to listen to them either but, judging by the way she kept looking at the ground, it was obvious that their words were affecting her. Kallen felt a pang of sympathy; it wasn't just the Japanese that were suffering from the likes of the Britannian nobility. Even if they were treated a hell of a lot better than the Japanese, Britannian commoners were still seen as inferior to Britannian nobility.

"Brother, welcome. And who is this lovely lady?" Prince Clovis asked as he sipped at his glass of wine, waving a server over and Lelouch took one of the wine glasses being offered to him.

"This is Shirley Fenette," Lelouch said, sipping at his own wine. "Shirley, I'd like you to officially meet my brother Clovis la Britannia."

"Ah, it's nice to meet you, Your Highness," Shirley said with a slight bow.

"And it is nice to meet you as well, Miss Fenette. Are you, by chance, related to Joseph Fenette?" Prince Clovis asked.

"Yeah, I mean yes Your Highness. He's my father," Shirley said. "Um, do you know him, Your Highness?"

"I do," Prince Clovis said. "We've met a few times."

The music changed to a softer song that Kallen recognized, though she couldn't recall the name of it.

"I love this song," Shirley said.

Lelouch turned to her and, putting down the wineglass on a server's tray, held out a hand, bowing slightly. "Might I have this dance, my lady?" he said.

Shirley blushed. "Ahh, sure, Your Highness," she said, placing her hand in Lelouch's.

"If you'll excuse me, brother," Lelouch said to his elder brother.

"Of course, of course. Can't keep the lady waiting," Prince Clovis said and smiled charmingly at one of the noblewomen nearby.

Prince Lelouch guided Shirley onto the dancefloor and Kallen watched as Prince Clovis went off to ask a noblewoman near him to dance.

"Hmph, wonder just what that commoner harlot did to convince the prince to bring her to this ball?" Kallen's bitch of a stepmother said.

Kallen bristled but held her tongue, even as her grip tightened, once again, on the wineglass. It was honestly a miracle the wineglass didn't shatter with how hard she was gripping it.

 **. . .**

Lelouch spun Shirley, causing her to gasp and smile in exhilaration as they continued to dance across the dancefloor. The song that they had originally been dancing to had ended a few minutes back but Lelouch barely noticed as he continued to dance with the beautiful, orange-haired girl in his arms. He didn't think that even Shirley noticed that the song had stopped and another one had started; they were too busy looking at each other, a faint blush on Shirley's cheeks.

"Y...You're a great dancer, Lulu," she said as they spun across the dancefloor again.

"I would think so. Mother had me take dancing lessons ever since I knew how to walk and I kinda just retained it after all these years," Lelouch said. "You're not a bad dancer yourself."

"Ah, I'm not great. I'm pretty sure the only reason I haven't faceplanted the floor is because of you," Shirley said.

"Don't sell yourself short, Shirley," Lelouch said gently, removing a hand that had been resting on her back and cupping her cheek in his hand. He leaned forward and gently kissed it; she blushed and gazed at him as their dancing slowly came to a stop as the second song they'd been dancing to ended.

"Lulu..." she said softly and then rested her head on his chest. He curled his arm around her, resting his chin on the top of her head, a faint smile on his face as the next song started. He didn't even bother on leaving the dancefloor, he just started dancing again. It was a slow song anyway so he didn't really need to do much dancing.

As he danced, he caught the eye of Rayne who was leaning against the wall. She smirked at him, a knowing gleam in her eyes, and gave him an encouraging nod. Lelouch turned his gaze to the orangette pillowed against him as he slowed down and Shirley lifted her head, blinking up at him confused about why they had suddenly stopped.

He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers, causing her to blink in surprise. "I'm not entirely sure just what I feel for you, Shirley," he said softly, "but I do know that I feel something for you and I do care about you a lot."

"Lulu," Shirley murmured and gave him a small smile. "Maybe...Maybe we can find out what you feel together."

Lelouch smiled and opened his mouth to respond…

And the lights suddenly went out.

It was so sudden. Sudden silence descended upon the ballroom as darkness enveloped the entire area and even the music had died down. Then the panic set in and Lelouch, gritting his teeth, pulled Shirley closer to him as he felt a few people bump into him in their panic as they struggled to escape.

"Don't panic. It was probably just a blown fuse," Andon's voice shouted above the cacophony of panicked screams but only a few people seemed to hear him. The claps of thunder that echoed outside mixing with the screams and shouts of surprise didn't make it any easier for anyone to hear the General's reassurance.

Lelouch felt someone touch his arm but, thankfully, a flash of lightning shining through a nearby window illuminated the area next to him just long enough for him to see his Knight. "Are you alright, my prince?" Suzaku asked softly.

"I'm fine. Shirley, are you okay?" Lelouch asked, tightening his grip on Shirley and she snuggled closer to him.

"I'm okay. It just scared me for a bit but it probably was just a blown fuse or something," Shirley said.

"Probably," Lelouch said.

"Dimitri's already left. He said he's going to try and turn the power back on," Suzaku reported. "Jeremiah and Kay went outside to make sure that the perimeter is secure just in case someone tries to take advantage of this incident."

"Good," Lelouch said, curling an arm around Shirley's shoulders as the orangette rested her head against his chest.

Gradually, the panic started to die down, though the thunder outside still made it difficult to hear anything.

Then the lights flickered back on and Lelouch relaxed, only to realize that he'd relaxed a moment too soon when a scream of horror sounded at the other end of the ballroom, near the doors leading into the kitchen. Already, a crowd had gathered in that area and they were all standing around something.

Lelouch narrowed his eyes and, handing Shirley off to Suzaku, darted toward the group. "Keep her safe," he called over his shoulder before he slipped into the crowd of nobles and meandered his way through them.

He finally reached the edge of nobles and stepped out of the circle, vaguely noticing Clovis and Andon standing nearby, but froze when he saw what was in front of him.

It was a bloodstained body, a mutilated bloodstained body. Angry red wounds were scattered upon his body, on his arms, legs, chest, stomach, neck, looking as if someone had ripped into him with a knife. His military uniform was stained dark red with his own blood, his medals and epaulettes spotted with crimson, his glassy eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling. Judging by his ashen skin and the lack of blood flowing out of the wounds, he'd probably been dead for a while.

"Oh dear God," Shirley's voice whispered and Lelouch whipped his head around, scowling when he saw Shirley standing next to him, one hand on her mouth, her eyes wide and her face a little green. Suzaku stood just behind her, giving the prince an apologetic look.

"She got away from me," he said.

Lelouch decided to deal with that later as he returned his attention to the body, the body that, despite how badly it was mutilated, he recognized in an instant.

The retired former leader of the 11th Regiment: Brigadier General Stromberg.

"Oh God, Lulu, look," Shirley gasped and, when Lelouch glanced at her, he saw her pointing a shaking finger toward the wall between the two doors leading into the kitchen.

On the wall, written in blood, were the following words:

 _Beware, Demon Prince, for this is what we shall do to you._

And, beneath that, drawn also in blood, was a crest.

The crest of the Liberators.

 **. . .**

 **End of Arc II**

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: dun dun dun!**

 **Bakura: wow, them Liberators sure are sore losers.**

 **Blaze: eh, possibly. I will say this. Keep the pre-chapter in mind. Oh and the chapter title.**

 **Bakura: doesn't that give it away?**

 **Blaze: (scoffs) the sad thing is, I don't know how many people even read the pre-chapters so anyone who doesn't read the pre-chapters will probably not get what I mean.**

 **Bakura: whatever. So the next chapter is the dreaded chapter 30?**

 **Lelouch: speaking of that… (pulls out flaming machete) _what_ happens in chapter 30, Blaze?**

 **Blaze: finish the chapter, Suzaku! (Bolts to hide herself in a bunker under a bunker under a bunker guarded by five knightmare squadrons, three war tanks, and four dragons)**

 **Lelouch: (darkly) I have this odd feeling she's going to need all that protection and I _don't_ mean just from me**

 **Suzaku: probably. Anyway, Blaze also wanted to tell you that the first chapter of _Fall Into Dusk_ will be posted within minutes of this chapter being posted and she hopes that you check it out.**

 **Bakura: che, whatever**

 **Suzaku: … why does she keep you around again? (Shakes head) you know what, I don't even care. Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated. Thank you for reading!**


	30. The Amnesiac New Student

**Welp, looks like this story has just been cut down by two chapters again. So it's now sixty six chapters. Let's see if that'll actually stay true to the end (but, considering I'm on chapter 57 of the prewritten chapters, I think it will). Anyway...(slowly pushes chapter 30 forward) here's chapter 30 (bolts back to the hiding place that she left to deliver the chapter)**

 **Lelouch: (sharpening the flaming machete) this is the first chapter of the third arc and Blaze would like to say that she's taken the liberty of altering a lot of things about a certain character from** _ **Lost Colors**_ **so his character may not be completely true to his character, and his story, in** _ **Lost Colors.**_

 **Suzaku: also, she would like to thank** _ **harlequin320, DYnoJackal19, Shadow-Shinobi666, OBSERVER01, shadowneko003, Zero L42, Blacksword Zero, Doommajor, DarthMaine, god of all, B-Kira, Scarease,**_ **and** _ **nexus4123**_ **for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

 **Lelouch: Blaze hopes that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 **Arc III**

 **Sparks**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

"Here we go again

I will not give in

I've got a reason to fight

Every day we choose

We might win or lose

This is the dangerous life."

—"Feel Invincible" by Skillet [Album: Unleashed (2016)]

 _ **. . .**_

 _March 1, 2013_

 _Cave of the Thought Elevator, Kamine Island_

 _Bright light. That was the first thing the silver-haired boy became aware of as he stumbled and fell to the ground, released from the prison he'd been trapped in for who knew how long. He'd lost all sense of time a while ago, though he felt as if more than just a day had gone by. He didn't feel tired or weak, even though he'd been without food and water for a very long time; it was almost as if he had been in some sort of stasis._

 _"What is this?" a voice said nearby but his eyes were still adjusting so he couldn't make out who'd spoken._

 _"He just fell out of the Though Elevator," another voice said in shock._

 _"How is that possible?"_

 _"I don't know but...His Highness will want to know about this. We should bring him back with us when we leave the island."_

 _"Yes, I agree."_

 _His eyes had finally adjusted and the silver-haired boy found himself kneeling on a stone platform in front of a door of sorts covered in intricate designs. All around him, he could see the stone walls of a cave along with several instruments and computers and Britannians whose clothing suggested they were part of the military. The one who stood closest to him was a portly bald man with a monocle over one of his blue eyes dressed in dark-purple clothing that suggested his status as both a high ranking military officer and a noble._

 _He didn't know what to feel about that but, then, he was still attempting to figure out why he'd been released from the Thought Elevator to begin with. His memories were a bit sketchy when he thought about that incident but, then, a lot of his memories were rather sketchy. He was only just barely able to remember his own name._

 _"All right, boy, come with us," one of the armed, he could see the gun holstered at his side, soldiers said, moving toward him._

 _The silver-haired boy wasn't stupid and he had an odd feeling that he shouldn't go with these Britannians. Besides, he didn't know them and he didn't trust them. He slowly shook his head as he got to his feet and attempted to step back but his legs felt like jelly and he stumbled, falling on his rear instead._

 _"Don't make this difficult. Just come with us," the soldier said, approaching him again._

 _"N...No, s..stay away," the silver-haired boy stammered out, panic as the strange armed men approached him. They kept approaching and the boy crawled back, eyes wide with fear and then he felt a faint burning sensation in his left eye._

 _"_ Get away from me, _" He whispered in fear just loud enough for the three men to hear him and he watched, wide-eyed, as a sphere of red light shot away from him to encompass the area around the three men. Their eyes took on a red ring around their irises and they straightened up._

 _"Yes, sir," they stated monotonously, turned around and hurried away. As they did so, the sphere collapsed and disappeared and the burning sensation around the silver-haired boy's left eye vanished._

 _He blinked in shock, not entirely sure what just happened, only aware that the portly man didn't seem happy that his men had left._

 _"Someone sedate him before he does something like that again," the man ordered._

 _The silver-haired boy snapped out of his shock but, before he could call upon that strange power again to get him out of that cave, he felt a prick in his neck and then he felt very sleepy. Eyes fluttering closed, the silver-haired boy toppled to the ground and slipped into darkness._

 **. . .**

 **30**

 **The Amnesiac New Student**

 _March 1, 2017_

 _Streets, Tokyo Settlement_

The boy stumbled and grabbed hold of the wall to keep from falling. He was tired, beyond tired, and hungry. It was early in the afternoon and it was also a little bit chillier now than it was earlier and the boy shivered, wrapping his arms around his dirt-clad skinny body.

His white clothing was stained with dirt, grime, and blood and had many tears. His silver hair was wild and matted with grease and dirt and his face had dirt and grime covering it. He looked like an inhabitant of the ghettos that he'd just left, which he wasn't surprised by. He'd just traveled through the ghetto to get to the settlement, though he was still unsure of what he was doing there.

He was unsure of a lot of things.

He'd only just escaped from the lab where he'd been kept, using a power that he wasn't entirely sure he could remember how to call upon again if he needed it, and had managed to get clear of the lab. He'd been running for a few days, though without any real idea of where he was going; he didn't know anything nor could he remember anyone that might be willing to help him.

He didn't know exactly when he'd lost his memories. It was sometime while he was in the lab because he couldn't remember anything sooner than when he was in that lab. He didn't even know how he'd gotten that power or why, though he didn't particularly like it; when he'd used it to get out of that lab, he'd just felt cold and horrified as if something was telling him that he shouldn't be doing that. Perhaps something had happened in his past that dealt with that power and that was why he was subconsciously afraid of using it.

Either way, the only reason he knew how to use it was because he hadn't lost his memories of the things that he'd learned how to do. But that didn't mean he wanted to use it, not when he felt that way, as if his mind was saying that he'd done something truly terrible with it.

He was still running and he stumbled again, falling to his knees as the world spun around him. He was so tired, so hungry; his legs were starting to feel like jelly and his breath came out in short gasps as he struggled to calm his pounding heart.

All around him, he could hear the residents of the Tokyo Settlement talking with each other, most of them eyeing him with distaste, some with pity, but no one seemed willing to help him.

"Look at that ruffian."

"He should be in the ghetto with the other riffraff."

"He doesn't belong here."

Forcing himself to his feet, the boy started to walk again, still not entirely sure where he was going. Right now, he just wanted to find someplace safe with people who wouldn't treat him badly and who might be willing to help him. He thought about going to a hospital but he didn't know if he could make it, not with how exhausted he felt.

And then there was the Britannian military.

They were the ones who'd captured him and put him in that lab. He knew that because he'd recognized them after seeing them streaming in and out of the cell he'd been trapped in. He didn't recall a lot of what they'd done to him only because he'd repressed the memories of the incidents, though he did remember snippets and shoved them aside whenever they cropped up.

Either way, he knew that he couldn't trust them.

But that meant it was difficult for him to travel through the streets of the Tokyo Settlement and avoid the military, especially when his appearance automatically drew attention to him.

But he was so tired. His eyes drooped but the boy forced himself to keep moving, making his way down the street, trying to find some place that would keep him safe.

He stumbled again and his legs gave out on him. He grabbed hold of the wall but still lost his balance and collapsed, darkness taking him before he'd even hit the ground.

 **. . .**

 _Lelouch's Office, Viceroy's Palace_

Lelouch peered out the window of his office, lips pressed together as he studied the shadow-drenched city that lay in front of him. For a long moment, he was silent, his thoughts were, currently, on the death threat the Liberators had left him a little over two months earlier. "I don't get it," he murmured, turning around to face the green-haired general who was standing in front of his desk. "Why would the Liberators go so far as to deliver that message to me and then not do anything? It's been two months and nothing's happened, there haven't even been any terrorist threats since the incident at Akita."

"Perhaps it was a scare tactic, Your Highness," Andon suggested.

"Possibly, though I don't see why they would try to scare me like that, especially not when the Liberators did want me alive during the Battle of Sapporo."

"Perhaps they changed their mind, Your Highness," Andon said. "After all, you did defeat them and practically decimated their Eleven cell. They could have decided that you're too dangerous to be left alive."

Lelouch hummed. "I suppose that is possible. We only know that the Liberators wanted me alive during the Battle of Sapporo. It's possible that they changed their minds after they lost," he said. He wasn't as scared as one would think; he knew that his life was going to be put on the line from the moment he rejoined the Royal Family and by defeating a cell of the nearly undefeated Liberators, he knew he'd just placed a large target on his back from members of that organization who might seek revenge.

And then there was Nightfall. Who knew what the psychopathic second in command of the Liberators would do?

"But that still doesn't explain why they haven't acted," Lelouch added. Sure, there had been a few assassination attempts made in the last two months—all three of them were foiled by either Jeremiah, Suzaku, or Lelouch's Royal Guard—but none of them had claimed to be part of the Liberators. Considering how the Liberators had left their crest behind when they bombed the Sapporo Military Base and, again, when they'd left that threat at the Christmas Ball, Lelouch would've thought that they would want him to know that they were trying to kill him.

He supposed be might be overestimating them based on what little information he had about them.

"I do not know, Your Highness," Andon said.

Lelouch sank into his chair, rubbing his temples and decided to push the matter aside for the moment. "For now, the only thing I really can do is just subtly increase security around the city in case any terrorists decide that now would be an opportune moment to attack, or if the Liberators decide to strike here," he said.

"That might be best, Your Highness," Andon said.

Andon left soon after that and Lelouch let his head fall onto his desk. He really wasn't able to make sense out of the Liberators' moves. First, they want to capture him alive, even if Nightfall wanted to kill him. Then they kill Brigadier General Stromberg and send that death threat to him. And then they...do nothing?

It really didn't make any sense.

Thinking about what happened at the Christmas Ball suddenly had Lelouch's thoughts turning to Shirley as well as everyone who'd witnessed that gruesome scene with Stromberg. He knew that Shirley was still having nightmares about what happened; the past two months, she'd called him a few times asking him if he was okay because she would have a nightmare of him being in Stromberg's place and it terrified her. As a result, he always spent a good hour reassuring her that he was all right and trying to get her to calm down.

As if on cue, his phone began ringing. He reached for it and answered it. "Hello?" he said.

" _Hey, Lulu, um...is this a bad time?_ " Shirley asked worriedly.

"No, I just finished the only meeting I had for the day so I'm free for now," Lelouch said.

" _That's good. Um..._ " Shirley trailed off, " _Um, well, I was wondering...if you can, um, take some time off or something this weekend, 'cause, well, my dad kinda wants to meet you, erm officially since he's met you before, y'know. He and mom invited you over to dinner Saturday night. Ah, I know it's last minute and all but...I can tell them that you can't..._ "

"Shirley, you're rambling," Lelouch cut her off.

" _S...Sorry,_ " Shirley said.

"It's all right. I should be able to go. I don't think I have anything planned for Saturday," Lelouch said.

" _Um, great, I'll tell Mom and Dad,_ " Shirley said. " _It'll be at seven. Will that be all right?_ "

"Yeah, that should be fine. If something comes up, I'll let you know," Lelouch said.

" _Right, um, well, I'll see you then, Lulu,_ " Shirley said and hung up before Lelouch could respond. He put the phone down and immediately noticed that his Knight and his Royal Guard were all looking at him.

"What?" he said.

"You're not going without security, right?" Rayne asked.

"Yeah, I mean ya do have an entire organization out for your head," Tadashi said.

Lila rolled her eyes. "You could have said that a bit more tactfully but Tadashi has a point," she said.

"Relax, Suzaku'll be going with me and I'll just go in disguise," Lelouch reassured them.

"Still, Your Highness, I would feel better if we were nearby to back you up should it be necessary," Jeremiah said firmly.

Lelouch resisted the urge to sigh and simply raised an eyebrow. Ever since the Liberators had sent that death threat, his Royal Guard, and his Knight on that note, had become rather paranoid and overprotective, not Lelouch-level overprotective—as Suzaku teasingly called his over-protectiveness of Nunnally—but close.

"All right, just don't draw attention to yourself," Lelouch said finally.

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah said firmly.

"We can be subtle," Rayne said.

"Well, most of us," Kay said with a teasing smile at his sister.

"So long as we're not near any dogs," Tadashi said with a grin.

Rayne glared at them both. "You two are never going to let me live that down, are you?" she growled.

Kay and Tadashi exchanged glances and shook their heads, causing her to sigh in frustration.

 **. . .**

 _Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement_

"Ah another nobleman's son won't be bothering me again," Milly murmured to herself as she made her way toward the gates of Ashford Academy, tucking the phone that she'd been talking on with her parents only moments before into her purse. Her parents had set her up with yet another nobleman's son to marry back into nobility, as they've been doing ever since she turned seventeen, and she'd managed to get all of them to decide not to marry her. It was getting irritating, though she knew that they were only doing it because they wanted their noble titles back and, at least, she did have some say. If she didn't want to date or marry the nobleman's son, and managed to scare them off, then her parents wouldn't argue.

That didn't stop them from setting her up again a few weeks later.

She stretched her arms and rested them behind her head as she gazed at the cloudless blue sky above her head, her lips twisted into a frown as she recalled what her mother had just told her. She'd just told her that, maybe, she might be more willing to marry Prince Lelouch, since he was a prince and a childhood friend. Milly had been quick to turn her down, stating that she only saw Lelouch as a friend, and a brother even; she also knew that Lelouch was starting to realize his feelings for Shirley.

That hadn't been as obvious until after the Christmas Ball when Lelouch had brought a shaken Shirley home, kissed her goodnight, and told her to call if she needed to talk. While Milly wasn't entirely sure what happened, the higher-ups were keeping it hush-hush and away from the media, she did see the fondness in Lelouch's eyes when he gazed at Shirley. While it wasn't love, Milly had no doubt that was coming next.

She smiled to herself. "'bout time you stopped being clueless, Lulu," she murmured to herself, lowering her arms and starting to walk again but stopped when she saw something.

Or, rather, _someone._

There was a boy lying unconscious, on his side, next to the gates. His wild silvery hair splayed out around him, matted with dirt and grime, his clothing was torn in several places and Milly, to her horror, saw splotches of blood.

She immediately darted forward and knelt down beside the boy, stretching out a hand to feel for the boy's pulse, relieved when she felt it. She sat back on her heels and fished her phone out of her purse, dialing the number to the meeting room. Hopefully, someone was there, even though Milly had to cancel their meeting.

Thankfully, someone was there.

" _Hello, Student Council Clubhouse,_ " Kallen's voice said.

"Kallen, thank goodness you're there. I need you to come to the gates. Oh and send word to the nurses. We've got an unconscious injured kid here and he needs help. I also need your help to get him to the nurse's office," Milly said, frowning at the boy.

" _All right. I'm on my way. Nina, can you go tell the nurse's that we've got an injured kid coming in?_ " Kallen called to Nina, who must have been the only other person in the room.

" _Um, okay._ " Milly just barely heard Nina's soft voice before there was a _click_ as Kallen hung up.

As she closed her phone and stuffed it away, Milly returned to examining the boy as best she could. He looked like he was about seventeen years old, though his frame was rather skinny as if he hadn't eaten much in days. She couldn't see where the source of the blood was and it didn't look as if the wounds that had caused those splotches were still bleeding.

The gates opened and Milly turned to find Kallen moving to her side, peering at the silver-haired boy. "Who is he?" she asked. "I don't recognize him as a student."

"I don't think he is. I just found him unconscious by the gates. Here, help me get him up," Milly said.

Kallen nodded and the two teamed up to get the unconscious boy up. Milly slung one of the boy's arms over her shoulders and shifted so that he was mostly leaning on her than Kallen, due to Kallen's weak body, but Kallen did help support his weight at least. They staggered past the gates and across the campus and toward the main building.

The entire journey to the nurse's office was done in silence. The boy didn't stir once but it didn't seem as if moving him was hurting him; either that or he was too unconscious to notice if it was. Kallen was studying the boy questioningly and Milly couldn't help but feel the same way but that wasn't going to stop her from helping the boy.

The two of them reached the nurse's office and Nina and Mrs. Stanton looked up.

"Bring him here," the nurse said, gesturing to the empty bed and Milly and Kallen guided the boy to it.

Once the unconscious boy was laying on the bed, the nurse began examining him, gesturing for them to leave.

"Please let me know when he wakes up," Milly said.

The nurse nodded and Milly, Kallen, and Nina left the room.

"So, um, who was that?" Nina asked quietly.

"I dunno. I found him unconscious right outside the gates. I wasn't 'bout to just leave 'im there. I'd better go tell Grandfather that he's here though," Milly said and waved a goodbye to Kallen and Nina before she made her way toward her Grandfather's office.

 **. . .**

 _Nurse's Office, Ashford Academy_

The silver-haired boy stirred and blue eyes fluttered open. He squeezed them shut as soon as they were blinded momentarily by the bright lights above. He felt that he was lying on something soft and he could feel band-aids on the little cuts and scraps that he'd obtained during his trek through the ghettos. He blinked open his eyes again, slower this time to allow them time to adjust to the bright light, and looked around.

He was in some sort of nurse's office. He slowly sat up and winced when his head began to hurt. It wasn't painful, more irritating than anything, and he was able to ignore it enough to actually sit up. He looked around, noticing that he was still in his grime-covered clothing, though the shirt was off, most likely so that the nurse could check the source of the blood.

The nurse's office was silent and the rays of sunlight that were streaming in through the windows suggested that not much time had actually passed since the silver-haired boy had passed out on the street. He still felt tired and his stomach was aching from hunger but he didn't feel like passing out again.

"You're awake," a voice said and he turned to find a kind-looking auburn haired young woman in scrubs that told him she was the nurse moving to his side. "How do you feel?"

"T...Tired," he managed to get out. His voice sounded hoarse to his own ears and his throat was dry, causing him to cough. The nurse picked up a glass of water and handed it to him; he, hoarsely thanking the nurse, took the glass and sipped at the water, feeling the cool liquid soothe his scratchy throat.

"W...Where am I?" he asked, gazing around again as he cupped the glass of water in both of his hands.

"You're at Ashford Academy," the nurse said. "Miss Ashford and Miss Stadtfeld brought you here."

He furrowed his brow but nodded slowly, sipping at his water again as the nurse started examining him again.

"Do you feel any pain?" she asked.

"No," the silver-haired boy said.

"Any dizziness?"

"No. I'm just tired."

The nurse hummed. "You only had a few cuts and scrapes on you but you were found unconscious. Considering how tired you look, I think that might have just been caused by exhaustion. When was the last time you slept?"

"Um...yesterday," the boy admitted, remembering that he'd managed to get a few hours of sleep by hiding in an abandoned building. He'd been chased out by the Elevens that found him there though and then had to run because he'd spotted Britannian soldiers. He didn't know if they were searching for him or not but he wasn't going to take the chance that they were.

He didn't want to go back to that lab if he could help it.

The door opened and both the nurse and the boy looked up to find a tall, beautiful blonde woman stride into the room followed by an older gentleman with the same blue eyes as her. "Oh, you're awake. We couldn't have timed that better," the blonde said with a cheerful grin as she came to a stop in front of the boy's bed.

"I'm Milly Ashford. My friend Kallen and I were the ones that brought you here," the blonde said and gestured to the elder gentleman. "And this is my grandfather Reuben Ashford."

"Hello," Mr. Ashford said. "My granddaughter told me that she found you unconscious outside the gates of Ashford and, for some reason, brought you here instead of taking you to the hospital." He gave a long look at Milly who shrugged.

"He looked like he needed help right away," she said. "So what's your name?"

The boy swallowed as he attempted to search what little memories he had for his name. It came to him, surprisingly, very quickly. "Rai," he said softly. "My name's Rai."

Mr. Ashford and Milly looked at each other and Mr. Ashford cleared his throat. "Do you have a last name?" he asked gently.

Rai opened his mouth, closed it, and slowly shook his head. "I...I don't...remember," he said quietly, lowering his head and gazing at his blue eyes reflected in the water of the glass he still held in his hands.

Mr. Ashford and Milly looked at each other with small frowns on their faces before Milly glance at Rai and smiled brightly. "Well, that could be why you were unconscious. Maybe you suffered some head trauma and it knocked you out and messed with your memories," she said. "Do you know if you have any family here in Tokyo?"

Rai shook his head. "I...I don't remember anything," he said softly. "Just that name."

Mr. Ashford sighed and turned to Milly. "We'll take him to the nearest hospital," he said.

"Why can't he stay here?" Milly asked curiously. "He might be able to recover his memories if he experiences the city or the school or, well, anything really."

"You don't know that."

"It's worth a shot, ain't it? Besides, the hospital would just release him into Britannia's custody because he doesn't know who his parents are and he might never regain his memories if that happens," Milly pointed out while Rai stiffened at the thought of being back in Britannia's custody.

"You don't know that either," Mr. Ashford pointed out.

 _I can't go back there. Not again. Four years was enough._ "Mr. Ashford, sir?" Rai said politely, causing the elder gentleman to look at him. "W...Would it be all right if I stayed here? Miss Ashford..."

"Call me Milly," Milly said.

"Um, right, Milly's got a good idea. Besides, aside from that, I'm really not injured at all and I don't want to waste the doctors' time," Rai said. "I...remember everything that I learned so I won't be behind."

Mr. Ashford studied him and Rai tried to keep his face hopeful but also impassive so as to not showcase the fear he was feeling within. He didn't know if he succeeded or not but, eventually, Mr. Ashford nodded. "I'll look into trying to find your parents until then, Rai," he said. "Until then, you can stay in the Student Council Clubhouse's West Wing."

"We're gonna have to think of a last name though. People will be suspicious if he doesn't have a last name," Milly commented. "Can we have him be a distant relative of ours?"

"That might work," Mr. Ashford said. "At least, for now. Rai, would you mind taking on our last name for the time being?"

 _Anything's better than risking going back to that lab and...I might be able to uncover my memories if I stay here and find out just who I_ really _am,_ Rai thought. "Um, sure," he said.

"Very well. Milly, you're going to have to tell Lelouch about this, though. After all, Rai will be living in the same clubhouse as Nunnally and you know how Lelouch gets," Mr. Ashford said.

"I know, I know," Milly said with a sigh. "I'll explain things to both him and Nunnally's bodyguard too. Sorry 'bout that, Rai, but...we've got a princess attending school here and everyone's been pretty paranoid since she was nearly killed."

Rai blinked but he nodded slowly, thinking over that bit of information. It wasn't as if he was going to harm the princess, no way was that going to happen, but it was good to know that there was a princess staying there.

"Thank you," he added since he was thankful that he'd been found by people who weren't treating him badly and were willing to help him. He hadn't expected that to happen but he was thankful nonetheless.

 **. . .**

 _March 2, 2017_

 _Abandoned School Building, Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11_

Kaname Ohgi scanned the letter that he held in his hand. This one had been hand-delivered to him by a member of the Liberators who'd managed to track him down at the old school that he'd claimed as his safe haven since that disastrous day in June. This was the fourth time since that day in December that Reyes or someone sent by Reyes had contacted him and each message was the same; Reyes wanted to talk.

Kaname bit his lip as he reread the letter for the fourth time, seated next to a decrepit desk within an old classroom. He'd managed to gather the Kozuki Resistance back together back in early February, though he still wasn't completely confident in his ability to lead them, only because he did want to try and bring about Naoto's dream. It was the least he could do for his friend.

They hadn't really done anything since they're regrouped, though Tamaki, ever the rash one, had suggested that they strike back at Britannia to avenge Naoto, but reason won out with the rest of the group. There was no denying that the Kozuki Resistance was barely holding itself together by a thread; their numbers had dropped down to eight members, they had no money, they had no base, they had no weapons. They, virtually, couldn't do a damn thing against Britannia. The only thing they had was their desire to fight against Britannia and that was not going to be enough.

And yet...if the Liberators would work with them then they would get access to weapons, money, and, possibly, a base.

 _But they abandoned us when we needed them the most,_ Kaname thought, pursing his lips as his thoughts went to that disastrous day in which Reyes and his two men had left them when General Andon and his men stormed the warehouse.

Of course, Kaname knew it was really Tara's betrayal that had caused that meeting to go to hell in a hand basket but the stunt Reyes had pulled had only made matters worse. If Reyes and his men had stayed, they might've had a chance to get out without losing so many lives.

Naoto might have never died.

If Naoto was still alive, the Kozuki Resistance would never have been forced to scatter. He would've been able to get them back on their feet; he was the leader that the Kozuki Resistance needed, not Kaname.

He pushed the thought out of his mind. Naoto was dead and gone and nothing would ever bring him back. All that remained was his dream and Kaname was going to try his hardest to bring his friend's dream true, in honor of his friend's memory.

But could he really ally himself with the very people who had abandoned the Kozuki Resistance in their time of need?

He decided that he would gather everyone together and talk to them, listen to their opinions. One of the things that Kaname had learned from Naoto was that a leader must listen to their followers if they are to be an effective and trustworthy leader.

Pulling out a lighter from his pocket, Kaname turned it on and set the letter on fire, tossing it into an old wastebasket and got to his feet. He walked out of the abandoned classroom and began heading toward the main doors.

Kaname Ohgi may not be leadership material, at least not in comparison to Naoto anyway, but he would try. He would try to be the leader that the Kozuki Resistance needed because...because he couldn't just let Britannia get away with what they were getting away with. He'd made the decision to fight against Britannia back when Naoto had first asked him to join. Every single member of the Kozuki Resistance had made that same decision. They knew what they were getting into and that they might not survive but they were still willing to do it. They were still willing to fight back. Losing Naoto had not dampened their resolve.

Kaname pulled out his phone as he left the school building and lifted it to his ear as he dialed a number. "Yoshida," he said softly when the person picked up on the other end. "Please gather everyone together at the place. We all need to talk."

" _On it,_ " Yoshida said. " _Including Kallen?_ "

Kaname frowned as he recalled that Kallen was at Ashford Academy and he really didn't want to tear her away from her studies. "No. I'll brief her on what we discussed Saturday," he said.

" _Okay. What's this about though?_ "

"I'll explain when we meet."

" _Okay. See you in a bit,_ " Yoshida said and hung up.

Kaname hung up as well, tucking the phone into his pocket and beginning to walk away from the abandoned school building.

 **. . .**

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

Shirley jolted awake when she heard the slam of a couple of textbooks on the table beside her head and blinked sleepily as Rivalz glanced at her in concern. "Oh, hey, Rivalz," she said, covering her mouth with her hand when she let out a yawn.

"Are you okay? You were asleep and you look like you haven't gotten a good night's sleep in a long time," Rivalz said.

"Oh I'm fine," Shirley assured him. It wasn't true, mostly. While she wasn't having as many nightmares about the incident during the Christmas Ball anymore, occasionally she would get them and they would keep her up all night. That resulted in her calling Lelouch to reassure herself that he was all right and then being unable to go back to sleep the rest of the night. That led to her sleeping in class, which had all of her friends worried, since she's never done that before.

She tried to tell herself that she was just being silly. That Lelouch was all right. But when she had those nightmares, when she saw that body again, her fear would take control of her mind and she would find herself picturing something that truly terrified her.

The message on the wall only added to that.

The death threat. A death threat made against Lelouch, against the man that she loved.

She felt scared for him, afraid that what happened to that Brigadier General would happen to him, afraid that she would lose him. She knew that it wasn't likely to happen, that Lelouch was too well-protected by his Knight, his Royal Guard, and the security that had been increased tremendously around the Viceroy's Palace since the threat was made. But still, she couldn't help but be afraid.

And it kept her up for hours at a time whenever she had one of those nightmares.

Thankfully, they didn't occur as often anymore. She didn't know if she would be able to handle them if they had occurred every day.

She was thankful that Lelouch and Prince Clovis had managed to prevent the news of that death threat from leaking into the media. The last thing Shirley wanted was for Nunnally to find out about it; she didn't want to worry the kind girl and she knew that Lelouch didn't want that either.

"Are you sure?" Rivalz asked again.

Shirley nodded, smiling at Rivalz as she reassured him that she was fine. He didn't seem very convinced but he let it drop, for which Shirley was grateful.

"Well, okay. Hey, do you think you can help me on my homework?" Rivalz asked.

Shirley yawned again but nodded. "All right. What do you need help with?"

"Math."

"Mm, okay. Let's see the assignment."

While they worked on that, the rest of the Student Council filed into the room. Adeline flopped into a seat on Shirley's other side while Kallen sat next to her while Tara sat across from Adeline and Nina took her usual seat at her computer.

"So where's Milly?" Rivalz asked as he scribbled the answer to the problem that Shirley had just helped him work out.

"Oh she's getting the new kid settled in. She should be here soon with the new kid," Kallen said. "She told me to tell you all to just get started without her and that we're balancing the budget again and coming up with ideas for the annual spring festival that's coming up."

"New kid? Gees, how many more new kids are we gonna get?" Tara said.

"Speaking of new kids, what happened to ya yesterday, Adeline?" Rivalz asked.

Adeline blinked at him. "Oh, uh, I was just talking with my uncle. And new kid? I haven't been a new kid since November," she protested.

"Kallen and Tara are still considered new kids. Ya gotta be here for, at least, a year before ya can no longer be considered a new kid," Rivalz said.

"When did that become a rule?" Kallen echoed.

"It isn't," Shirley said with a sigh, rolling her eyes at Rivalz who just shrugged and smiled.

"Well, it should be," he said.

The door opened before anyone could respond to that and the group turned to find Sayoko and Briana, with Nunnally being pushed in front of the former, made their way into the room. "Oh, hey, Nunna," Shirley greeted her.

"Hey Shirley," Nunnally said with a bright smile. "Is everyone here?"

"Almost everyone. The Prez is tardy," Adeline said with a shrug. She'd taken to calling Milly 'prez' since she'd joined. "Apparently, we've got another new student."

Nunnally giggled. "Big Brother would say that she's sinking her claws into yet _another_ minion," she said.

Shirley smiled. "Yeah, he would," she said as Nunnally was wheeled to the head of the table and Briana took a spot next to the main door while Sayoko pulled out a book written in braille and placed it in front of Nunnally. Shirley noticed it was one of the books that Milly had gotten her for her birthday.

A few minutes after Nunnally showed up, the door opened again. Briana stiffened, her hand going to the holster at her side but relaxed, a little bit anyway, when Milly came walking into the room with a large smile on her face. She was followed by a nervous-looking silver-haired boy with dark-blue eyes dressed in Ashford Academy's black-and-gold uniform.

"Oh, great, everyone's here! And hey Nunnally!" Milly said brightly, clapping her hands together.

"Hey, Milly," Nunnally replied.

"So this is the new kid?" Adeline asked.

"Yup. His name's Rai. Rai, this is the Student Council."

"Um, hello," the silver-haired boy said nervously, eyes flicking from one person to the next. Shirley didn't know whether it was being in a room filled with so many people that was making him nervous or being in the same room as Briana, who easily looked like she could snap him in two in an instant.

"Rai's got a bit of a...memory issue," Milly said. "So he's gonna be staying here until he regains his memories. I thought we might be able to help him out."

"Oh, uh, you don't have to..." Rai began.

"Nonsense! I'm happy to help," Milly said cheerfully, slinging her arms around Rai's shoulders and hugging him tightly, causing the already nervous boy to look rather uncomfortable, though that could be because his face was pressed between Milly's assets.

"T...Thanks?" Rai said.

"Hey, I just realized something," Rivalz said as Milly, finally, released the poor boy. "I'm not the only guy anymore!"

Shirley smiled a little at that.

"Why don't you take a seat, Rai? Then we can start introducing everyone," Milly said and guided Rai over to a seat across from Rivalz before sitting down herself. She then introduced everyone and Rai greeted them all quietly.

"Now then, let's get to work. We've got about a month and a half before the annual spring festival and we still need ideas as well as to work on the budget so that we can afford all the ideas," Milly said.

Tara groaned.

"I hear ya," Rivalz muttered to Tara.

 **. . .**

 _Basement, Abandoned Hotel, Shinjuku Ghetto_

Kaname looked at the six people that were gathered around him: Inoue, Yoshida, Minami, Sugiyama, Nagata, and Tamaki. They were all seated cross-legged on the ground, since the basement was devoid of any furniture, and Kaname was standing in front of them. He took a deep breath and finally explained the reason why he'd asked to speak to all of them.

"As I've already told most of you, he's contacted me four times already since his message in December. He really wants to speak to us," Kaname said.

"The last time we tried to speak to him, it resulted in Britannia finding us," Tamaki said with a scoff.

"That was more Tara's fault than Reyes'," Sugiyama pointed out.

"I don't trust Reyes," Minami said finally. "He did just up and leave us when Andon attacked when he could've stayed and helped."

"Yeah, who's to say he won't do something like that again?" Yoshida said.

"Also, I still don't see why he's trying to recruit us. Why not a larger group?" Inoue said with a frown.

Kaname shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "But if we want to be able to fight against Britannia, there are things that we need that we don't have anymore; resources, supplies, weapons. We might be able to get these items from the Liberators."

"Maybe," Inoue said, "but they might not be willing to supply us if we don't agree to join them and, frankly, I don't know if I want to join a group who is willing to abandon the people they're trying to recruit."

"While I agree with that, there something you haven't considered," Kaname said. He'd been thinking about it a lot while he was waiting for his friends to show up at the designated space.

"What's that?" Tamaki asked with a frown.

"Reyes is _not_ the _leader_ of the Liberators. If you'll remember what Naoto told us, he told us that he was going to go speak to Reyes who had asked to speak to him after convincing his _boss_ to help us."

"In other words, Reyes is like a medium we can use to speak to the Liberators' leadership without risking exposure of just who the true leadership of the Liberators is," Sugiyama realized.

"Exactly. That's why I think we should listen to him, or rather what the true leadership has to say through him. At the very least, we should see what he has to say and then decide, for ourselves, whether we want to accept his help or not," Kaname said.

The six of them were silent for a long moment.

"I still don't trust 'em," Tamaki said finally.

"Neither do I but...we could use the supplies and weapons," Minami said.

"Not to mention the backing of the Liberators could go along way of getting people to see that we're serious," Sugiyama admitted. "I mean, the Liberators may have lost on Hokkaido to Prince Lelouch and his Black Knights, and to Prince Schneizel in Cambodia, but they still have an impressive streak of wins."

"They've certainly got a reputation that would help us," Inoue admitted reluctantly, "but I still don't see why they're choosing to help _us_."

"We can ask Reyes that if we agree to hear him out," Kaname said and studied his friends. He could tell that, while they weren't exactly thrilled to be attempting to speak to Reyes, after their last meeting had ended in drastic tragedy, they were starting to lean in favor of it, if only because it could help their cause.

"I don't like it but I'll agree," Yoshida said finally. It wasn't long before Sugiyama, Minami, and Inoue agreed as well.

Tamaki scoffed. "Fine," he said. "But I ain't gonna let ya go speak with him alone. I'm going with ya."

"I think we should all go," Inoue said.

"If you want," Kaname said. "Okay, the meeting is tomorrow at noon at the old subway tunnel."

"What about Kallen?" Minami asked.

"I...think it would best if I just debrief her on it Saturday," Kaname said finally. "Besides, she'll be at school."

"She's not gonna like that," Yoshida said.

Kaname grimaced. "I know," he said.

 **. . .**

 _March 3, 2017_

 _Old Subway Tunnel, Shinjuku Ghetto_

Kaname and the rest of the remnants of the Kozuki Resistance made their way into the subway tunnel about fifteen minutes until noon. Tamaki and Yoshida were bringing up the rear of the group, holding their guns, which were among the few weapons they'd managed to keep after the incident last June, while Kaname and Sugiyama walked at the head of the group. They edged along the edge of the tunnel in its shadows, heading away from the station they'd used to enter it.

They walked in silence, their footfalls crunching against scraps of paper or crunching against gravel were the only things that broke the silence. They were trying to be as quiet as possible but it wasn't possible to do so in the ruined tunnel.

They finally reached the rendezvous point that Reyes had given Kaname to find that there was no one there and he glanced at his companions. "Well, we are a bit early," he said.

"True. I wonder how they're gonna get here without anyone knowing," Minami mused.

"Well, I don't think Britannia's keeping an eye on the Shinjuku Ghetto since June so they might be able to just slip by everyone," Inoue said thoughtfully.

"Possibly," Kaname said.

They waited for a little while longer before they heard the sound of a small group of people approaching. Tamaki and Yoshida immediately clicked the safety off their guns and pointed it at the tunnel that lay ahead of them as two people approached them. All of them recognized Reyes in an instant, though they were unsure of who the other was. The one walking alongside Reyes was a tall, blonde man with broad-shoulders and dressed casually in jeans and a white button-down shirt.

To Kaname's surprise, the blonde men was the one who stepped forward, greeting them with a slight bow. "Hello, Kaname Ohgi," he greeted them politely. "I am Michal, the leader of one of the Liberators' cells here in Japan."

"Cells?" Tamaki echoed. "Ya mean there's more than one?"

Reyes scowled. "Not anymore, not since Sapporo," he said. "It would be that fucking bastard's cell that'd still be around." He started cursing quietly in Spanish and Michal, sighing, shook his head.

"Ignore him. He has a bit of a...history with the leader of the other cell here in Japan. To put it simply, they hate each other... _intensely,_ " he said. "However, while we may be one of the few to have survived the battle in Sapporo, the Liberators, as a whole, are still strong, numerous, and united."

Reyes cut off his cursing and snorted before muttering something in Spanish.

Michal gave him a warning look. "We have come to speak to you on behalf of Unity, the leader of the Liberators," he said, returning his attention to Kaname. "And I must extend my deepest apologies for what occurred last June. While it will not bring your old leader back, it is the least I can do. Reyes should not have left you as he had." Here, he gave another glare at Reyes who groaned and threw his hands over his head in frustration.

"I've already been scolded by both Unity and the bastard, twice! I don't need you scolding me too. Yes, I fucked up, yes I made a mistake. I'm only human, damn it!"

Kaname frowned to himself. Just based on what he'd heard so far, it was clear that the leadership of the Liberators weren't too happy that Reyes had left them when they had.

"I know you likely don't trust us because of what this idiot did," Michal said and Reyes scowled at him. "But we do wish to help. We do wish to give you the supplies and the weapons you may need to fight back against Britannia. And we do want you all to become part of the Liberators."

"Yeah? What if we don't wanna join ya?" Tamaki demanded.

"And why are you recruiting us anyway? Why not recruit the JLF or the Yamato Alliance or any of the other rebellions that've cropped up? They're much larger than us," Inoue said with a frown.

Michal shrugged. "Unity wishes to recruit you _because_ you are not as large as the ones that you've mentioned. Due to you being relative newbies and small enough that you may be overlooked, you can help us with our plans for Tokyo itself," he said. "Naturally, I will not force you to join. I am simply here to offer you our support and supplies and weapons that you may need. You do not have to join us to obtain these supplies and weapons. That was one of the conditions that Unity set when he asked me to pass on his offer."

Kaname frowned. Weapons and supplies and no strings attached?

"No strings attached? Tch, it sounds too good to be true," Tamaki said.

"I've gotta agree with Tamaki here," Minami said with a shake of his head. "You must want something in return for us accepting these supplies and weapons."

Michal inclined his head. "You would be correct. While you do not have to join the Liberators if you don't want to, there is a price to be paid for our support. One from me and one from Unity. My price is simply this: one of my spies has recently reported to me that he's discovered something that Clovis is creating and I want to know _what._ "

Kaname frowned. _Could it be that poison gas that Naoto told us about last June?_ He thought.

"Okay, if that's what you want, what does Unity want?" Sugiyama asked.

"He wants Prince Lelouch."

"What?" Tamaki said, his voice confused and Kaname couldn't help but feel confused as well. "He wants the Demon Prince?"

"Dead?" Yoshida asked.

Michal shook his head. "No. He wants Prince Lelouch alive," he said.

"Why?" Inoue said confused.

"He has not told me. All he's said is that he wants the Demon Prince alive and as unharmed as possible," Michal said.

"Yeah, so don't let the bastard anywhere near him," Reyes muttered and then winced when Michal elbowed him hard in the side and glared at him. "Ow! What?! Oh...I said that in English, didn't I?"

"Yes," Michal deadpanned.

"Okay, you two are keeping something from us and, frankly, I don't like it," Tamaki said.

"I've gotta agree. What aren't you telling us?" Minami said.

Reyes sighed and folded his arms across his chest, leaning back on the balls of his feet. "Just tell 'em, Michal. If they do decide to join us then they've gotta know just what's going on," he said.

Michal sighed but nodded. "I suppose you're right. However, what I am about to tell you, you can't tell _anyone_. It would ruin our image in the eyes of everyone else," he said. "On your honor, I want you to swear you won't tell anyone of what I am about to tell you."

"Wow, must be pretty big if ya gotta say that," Tamaki said.

"It is," Michal said darkly.

"All right, we won't tell anyone," Kaname said finally and glanced at his friends who were looking at him. "The Liberators are the biggest threat that Britannia has ever faced; they are probably the ones that stand the greatest chance of actually _winning_ against Britannia but that could be ruined if this secret gets out."

"It would because Britannia would use it against us the instant they found out and loose lips may spill it to them, even if you don't do so intentionally," Michal said. "Or spies or eavesdroppers can hear you say something incriminating."

"He's got a point," Sugiyama said.

Kaname continued to gaze at his friends as they agreed not to breathe a word and then turned to Michal. "So what is this secret?" he asked.

Michal sighed. "The Liberators are divided," he said. "Following the Battle of Sapporo, our forces have been split nearly in half; half of the cells we have throughout the world support Unity and the other half support Unity's second in command, a man..."

"A complete, sadistic psychopathic bastard, you mean," Reyes said with a growl.

"...named Nightfall," Michal said. "And...he's exactly as Reyes has described him. His and Unity's views started conflicting after Sapporo only because they both disagreed on what to do with Prince Lelouch. Nightfall wants him dead. Unity wants him alive."

"Why? Wouldn't it be better if the Demon Prince was dead?" Tamaki asked.

"Normally, yes, but Unity doesn't believe so. He believes that the Demon Prince might be a very powerful _asset against Britannia._ That is why he wants the prince brought to him alive. He believes that he may be able to convince the prince to help the Liberators and, considering the prince has proven himself a militaristic genius at Sapporo and Akita and even Osaka, he would be a strong asset."

"He's a prince though. Why the hell does this Unity think he'd ever turn against his own country?" Tamaki scoffed.

"Little things that he's noticed based on what he's managed to learn about the prince," Michal said. "We also have a spy that is attempting to find more information on the prince. Unity has decided that he won't side with Nightfall's decision regarding the prince until he has _concrete evidence_ that the prince would never turn against his own country," Michal said.

"And Nightfall's just a psychotic bastard," Reyes put in. "He's only sore 'cause of the loss at Sapporo and that's the only reason why he wants the prince dead. He just wants to finish what he tried to do at Sapporo and he probably doesn't even care about the Liberators' cause anymore."

"That's debatable," Michal said.

Reyes snorted and muttered something under his breath in Spanish. "All we're saying is that we shouldn't judge the prince just based on his heritage or on what he's done so far. Sometimes, people would do anything to protect the ones that they care about and the prince may, very well, be doing just that."

"The way you're talking, it's as if he doesn't have a choice but to fight for Britannia," Inoue said.

"I'm saying that's a possibility but we won't know for sure until our spy can find out more information because, frankly, there's virtually _nothing_ about the prince other than his mother was assassinated when he was ten and he and his little sister were sent to Japan as bargaining chips during the Sakuradite Crisis," Reyes said with a shrug.

"Wait, what? They were used as _bargaining chips_?" Minami echoed in shock. "I hadn't known that."

"Neither did I," Kaname said in surprise. _I always knew the Emperor was bad but to use your own children as bargaining chips?_

"...I think I said too much," Reyes said.

"Obviously," Michal said dryly.

"How do you even know that?" Inoue asked.

Michal sighed. "One of our late members was constantly visiting the Kururugi Shrine, where Prince Lelouch and his little sister had been sent, and overheard quite a bit during his time there in the days before the invasion," he said. "But that's not important right now. Right now, will you accept those conditions? As we've stated, in return, we will give you resources and weapons and you will have our support as you fight back against Britannia."

Kaname frowned. "Can we have some time to talk about it?" he asked.

"Of course," Michal said. "When you're done, or if you need more time, we'll be over here." He and Reyes walked away and only when they were out of earshot did Kaname turn to his friends.

"This is a lot to take in. The Liberators being divided. Unity wanting the Demon Prince alive. The possibility, however slim, that the Demon Prince is not fighting for Britannia of his own free will, it's a lot," Sugiyama said finally.

"Not to mention them being used as bargaining chips," Inoue said with a disgusted shake of her head. "What kind of father would do that to his own children?"

"You've gotta admit though, Sapporo, Akita, and even Osaka are very good examples of just how brilliant a military strategist the prince is," Minami said. "If the Liberators could get him on their side, it _would_ help them greatly, especially since he's both Britannian and a member of the Royal Family."

It wasn't a secret that the Liberators wasn't just made up of any specific group of people. There were people from all over the world that were part of the Liberators; they'd even admitted that they had cells all over the world and Kaname honestly wouldn't be surprised if they were able to sway some Britannians to their cause. Well, maybe a little bit considering how Britannians were.

"It's for that reason that I don't think it's gonna happen," Sugiyama said. "I mean the possibility of him being forced to fight for his country is slim at best."

"But, in regards to the offer, can we really pass this up? I mean, Michal's condition doesn't seem like it'll be that hard. We already have one of Naoto's spies keeping an eye on Clovis anyway. Unity's condition is a bit trickier but can we really pass this up?" Minami said.

Inoue chewed on her lower lip. "I'm starting to think that we shouldn't," she said finally. "It's...It's just too good an opportunity to give up and...whether we like it or not, we _do_ need their supplies and their weapons and their support would _definitely_ help us. We might never get another chance like this."

Tamaki snorted. "I don't like it, not one bit, especially the part 'bout capturing the Demon Prince," he said. "They better not double-cross us again."

Kaname, knowing that was Tamaki's way of voicing his own support, glanced at Yoshida who sighed and nodded.

"It's too good an opportunity to pass up," he said. "I don't like it and I still don't trust them but if we wanna actually be able to fight back against Britannia again then we need what they're giving us."

"Then we're agreed?" Kaname said.

"You haven't given your opinion, Ohgi," Inoue said.

Kaname turned to gaze at Reyes and Michal in the distance. "I don't trust 'em but I agree that we need them and, perhaps, they're right about the prince. I don't know but it's not like we really have to have anything to do with the Liberators. We just have to find out what Clovis is doing and capture the prince and, while I'm positive the latter is not going to be easy whatsoever, that's all we have to do and we'll get the things we need to pick up where we left off. For Naoto's dream, I will agree to this. Michal!"

Michal walked back to join them with Reyes behind him. "So have you come to a decision?" he said.

"We have and we'll do it," Kaname said firmly.

 **. . .**

 _March 4, 2017_

 _Fenette Apartment, Tokyo Settlement_

Lelouch yawned as he made his way down the hallway toward Shirley's apartment with Suzaku walking alongside him. He'd been lucky he'd managed to get the evening off. He hadn't expected it but Clovis had just grinned at him when he told him that he had something planned and then wished him luck on his date.

It wasn't as if Lelouch was behind anyway. He'd actually gotten ahead on his work enough so that he wouldn't be behind when he went back to work the next day.

Besides, there really wasn't much to do anyway.

But he was tired mostly because of working late into the night again; that had quickly become a bad habit of his. Thankfully, Jeremiah and Suzaku still insured that he got a few hours of sleep at least.

He reached the Fenette apartment and knocked on the door. The door opened and Shirley smiled nervously in greeting. "Hey Lulu," she said softly, opening the door all the way. She was dressed in a beige blouse and a dark-cream-colored skirt with her hair in a high ponytail. "Dad, Mom, Lulu's here. Come in, you two."

She led the way into the modest apartment and Lelouch followed with Suzaku trailing after him. Joseph and Emily Fenette met them in the living room; they hadn't really changed much since Lelouch had last seen them. Shirley had gotten her looks from her mother as Emily had the same orange-colored hair and the same yellowish-green eyes; Joseph was a tall man with thick, curly brown hair and a stern expression on his face.

"Lelouch," he greeted Lelouch cordially.

"Mr. Fenette," Lelouch replied equally as cordially. "Thank you for the invite. I hope you do not mind that my Knight has accompanied me."

"Not at all, Lelouch," Emily said with a kind smile at both him and Suzaku. "Shirley told me that you and your Knight would be coming so I made enough for everyone." A _ding_ sounded and Emily looked up. "Oh, looks like the cookies are ready. Shirley, dear, will you come help me?"

"Sure thing, Mom. Daddy, please don't scare Lulu away," Shirley said and jogged after her mother.

"I make no promises," Joseph called after his daughter, not taking his gaze off Lelouch.

"Suzaku, go help Shirley and Mrs. Fenette," Lelouch ordered.

Suzaku looked like he was about to protest but decided against it and bowed slightly. "Yes, my prince," he said and turned, cloak swirling around his feet, and disappeared into the kitchen.

"Now, you might be a prince but, when it comes to my daughter, I don't care about that," Joseph said firmly. "I know you, Lelouch. I've known you since Shirley first introduced you to me and I liked you then, even if you were rather clueless about Shirley's affections until recently. That is why I don't feel this warning is necessary but I'll still say it. I don't care if you're a prince or the Emperor himself, if you hurt my daughter in anyway, I will kill you."

There was no doubt in Joseph's voice that he would follow through with his threat.

"I understand, sir," Lelouch said evenly.

"Now then, my main question is what are your intentions with my daughter?"

"I care about her a lot, Mr. Fenette," Lelouch said. "Maybe I'm falling in love with her. I don't know because I've never fallen in love before but I do know that I care about her enough to never hurt her. My intentions? At the moment, my intentions are to get to know her better. That's it at the moment, though. I don't want to pursue a romantic relationship with her, not now anyway."

Joseph frowned. "Why?"

Lelouch glanced toward the kitchen, eyes softening as he watched Shirley set up the table and smack Suzaku's hand when he attempted to snatch a freshly made cookie off the table. He cast a sidelong glance at Joseph and decided to tell him the truth. "I have a pretty large target on my back at the moment, Mr. Fenette. There's a very powerful enemy out there that wants me dead and I don't want Shirley to get caught in the crossfire nor do I want her to get hurt just because my enemy might be willing to use her to get at me if they found out about our relationship."

"You want to protect her," Joseph said.

"Yes."

"I can understand that," Joseph said finally. "All right, Lelouch. Whether you pursue a relationship with my daughter now or in the future, I'll give you a chance."

"Thank you, sir." _That actually went better than I thought it would. I suppose that's probably because I've met Shirley's father before,_ Lelouch thought as Emily told them that dinner was served.

"These cookies are good," Suzaku commented later as everyone moved to the living room and Emily had placed a plate of cookies on the coffee table. The TV was on in the background, though no one was paying attention to it. Lelouch and Shirley were seated on the couch beside each other while Suzaku stood just behind the couch, chewing on one of the cookies he'd grabbed.

"Oh thank you," Emily said with a smile. "I enjoy baking and experimenting with different kinds of recipes. I didn't know how white chocolate would work with cranberries though."

"They are good, Mrs. Fenette," Lelouch said, chewing on his own cookie with an arm around Shirley's shoulders as the orangette rested her head on his shoulder. How they got into that position, no one knew; it just sort of happened.

"If you want, you can take some with you, Lelouch," Emily said.

Lelouch hummed. "I think I might. My Royal Guard might like to try them," he said. "And I know Nunnally would.

"I'll go get a bag ready for you for when you leave, Lelouch," Emily said and left the living room.

"Oh, Lulu, I forgot to tell you," Shirley said, lifting her head off Lelouch's shoulder. "Well, Milly was supposed to tell you herself but we haven't really heard from you the past few days."

"I've been rather busy," Lelouch admitted. "What's this about?"

"We got another new student."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow, amused. "New students just keep coming out of the woodwork," he mused. "All right, who's Milly's newest minion?"

Shirley giggled. "His name's Rai," she said. "He's got amnesia and Milly decided to let him stay at Ashford Academy and attend as a student until he gets his memories back. He's staying in the clubhouse, in the opposite wing as Nunnally and Nunnally's bodyguard has already been informed."

Lelouch had been about to demand why they would place an amnesiac they didn't know in the same place as his little sister but was mollified, slightly, by the fact that Nunnally's bodyguard knew, at least.

"I'll want to meet him," he said.

"I know. We kinda figured that. If you can come by the clubhouse on Monday, we can introduce you but I think he's an all right guy," Shirley said.

Lelouch hummed. _I'll be the judge of that,_ he thought. When it came to his little sister, he was paranoid and overprotective to a fault, and he was still trying to find the person who attempted to assassinate Nunnally. Even if this Rai kid hadn't been a student when that assassination attempt happened, that didn't mean that Lelouch was going to trust him. But then, earning his trust was very hard to do.

 **. . .**

 _March 6, 2017_

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

Tara paced in the meeting room, glaring out the window. Months had passed since she'd severed ties with B.B. but she still couldn't help but be furious with him. She still couldn't believe that he didn't want her to go after everyone who was related to the Emperor. But she was sticking with what she told B.B.; she was going to do things her way.

And, now, after five months, she would finally have her shot. She'd gotten to the meeting room early and she knew that only Briana was with the princess today since Sayoko was buying groceries. All she need to do was get them alone, then she could use her Geass to throw something at Briana and knock her out, then she could use the knife she'd stolen from the clubhouse's kitchen, and kill the princess.

 _This time, my plan is foolproof. I just have to do it before the prince comes by since Shirley did mention that the prince would be coming by to meet Rai,_ she thought and tightened her grip on the knife that she had in her hands.

She paused in her pacing and tucked the knife away as the door opened and turned toward it, watching as Briana and Princess Nunnally made their way into the meeting room. The princess tilted her head to the side. "Am I early, Briana? There doesn't seem to be anyone here," she said.

"No. Tara's here," Briana said.

"Oh, hi Tara," Princess Nunnally said with a sweet smile that made Tara want to scream. How could anyone be that nice? She's the daughter of the Emperor. She shouldn't be nice! _She'll just turn out like the Emperor if I let her live. I won't let her live,_ Tara thought furiously but plastered on a fake smile.

"Oh, hello, Nunnally. I'm here early too, apparently," she said brightly, waiting for them to move away from the door. She already had her eye on what she would throw at Briana's head and if she focused hard enough, she should be able to get it to hit Briana hard enough to knock her out.

Finally, they'd reached the table and Tara jumped into action. Her left eye burned and she focused on the globe at the far corner of the room, jerking her head and, with her mind, she threw it as hard as she possibly could at Briana. The globe crashed into her head hard enough for the globe to crack and Briana to stumble back.

 _Damn, not enough!_ Tara used her Geass to throw everything she could think of at Briana. Briana, snarling in fury while Princess Nunnally cried out, wondering what was going on, dodged the things that Tara threw at her.

Ignoring the slight pain in her head, she continued to use her Geass, throwing everything she could possibly think of in the meeting room. Briana managed to dodge all of them swiftly but Tara, frustrated, yanked out the knife and threw it at Briana, using her Geass to grab hold of the knife with her mind and ensure that it met its target.

Briana gasped, a gurgle, as the knife sank into her throat and she sank bonelessly to the ground, hands attempting to stop the bleeding.

Tara huffed. "Finally," she said and turned to a terrified Princess Nunnally.

"Briana?" she called.

"She's dead and soon you will be too," Tara said coolly, walking around the table and yanking the knife out of Briana's throat before advancing on the princess.

"B...But...why?" the princess asked in confusion.

"I'm finishing what I started in the museum," Tara growled.

The princess gasped. "Y...You're the o...one who s...shot Big Brother?" she stammered out, white-faced and terrified and defenseless. She couldn't do a damn thing and Tara was going to take advantage of that. She let out a laugh as she glared at the princess.

"Yes. Shame he's still alive. But you won't be anymore, you worthless bitch," she growled and lunged at Princess Nunnally.

The door slammed open at that moment and Tara, with a scream, found herself tackled away from the princess. Both she and the person who tackled her went tumbling into the chairs, supplies, and bookcases that lay between the large windows and the meeting room's table.

She attempted to stab her assailant with the knife, only to scream in pain when her attacker grabbed her arm and, with a sharp twist, broke it. The knife went flying, skidding under the table and out of sight and Tara finally got a good look at her attacker; blue eyes framed by golden hair.

Adeline.

"You little…Kallen was right about you. You really are a bitch. No, you're _worse_ than a bitch!" Adeline snarled, slamming Tara's head hard enough into the floor to cause stars to snap into existence in front of Tara's eyes. "How dare you? How dare you try to kill someone who is innocent and defenseless like Nunnally?!"

"She's a member of the Royal Family. She deserves to die!" Tara screamed, slamming her knee into Adeline's stomach and throwing her off. She slipped to her feet and dove at Adeline who dodged out of the way and crashed a roundhouse kick into Tara's head, throwing her off her feet again. Scowling, Tara activated her Geass, grabbed hold of a chair with her mind and threw it at Adeline who, yelping, quickly dodged out of the way and chair sailed over her head to crash and break into pieces against the wall.

Her head throbbed but Tara ignored it as she used her Geass to grab another item and threw it at Adeline who dodged out of the way again. As she did that, Tara edged her way around her, heading around the table toward where she could see her knife resting on the ground. She threw a third chair at Adeline who jumped to the side to avoid it and scowled when Tara dived toward her knife, grabbing it in her uninjured hand and jumping to her feet.

She lunged at the terrified Nunnally but Adeline jumped onto the table and dived at Tara, sending both of them tumbling through the door that was still open from when Adeline had entered the room. Tara's knife sank into Adeline's arm but the golden-haired girl ignored the pain as she slammed her hand into Tara's injured one, causing her to scream in pain and wildly stab at Adeline, nearly planting the knife in Adeline's neck.

The golden-haired girl jerked her head back and hissed in pain when the knife nicked her neck. She grabbed Tara's wrist but Tara kneed her in the stomach and then, activating her Geass, grabbed her and threw her away. Adeline sailed across the ground to crash into a pillar and slump to the ground but, as Tara used her uninjured hand to push herself to her knees, Adeline scrambled to her feet.

Tara, her head hurting more than ever, gritted her teeth and deactivated her Geass. The pain in her head was reaching migraine level, which she knew was her body's way of telling her that she was using her Geass too much.

She would just have to rely on her own skills rather than her Geass.

 **. . .**

Adeline hadn't exactly been expecting anything to happen when she arrived at the clubhouse early for the meeting. She figured that she would just get to work on her homework or start working on finding activities to take place during the Prez's annual spring festival. When she'd heard the cry of confusion, she'd started running toward the meeting room without even realizing it, mostly because she'd recognized the cry as belonging to Princess Nunnally.

In the months it's been since Adeline started going to Ashford Academy, there was no denying that she'd gotten close to the student council and to Princess Nunnally. At first, she'd done so primarily to get close to Prince Lelouch and find out more information about him, since very little was actually known aside from him being a tactical and strategical military genius who's mother was assassinated and who'd been in Japan before, during, and after the invasion. She also was trying to figure out if her big brother was right and Prince Lelouch did hold a strong resentment toward the Royal Family.

But, after the past five months since she'd joined, Adeline started to see the student council and Princess Nunnally as her friends. She'd never really had friend beyond the Liberators and, even then, she wasn't entirely sure she could count them as friends. The student council and Princess Nunnally were a different matter; she wasn't even sure when she'd become friends with them but she felt that she had.

So when she heard Nunnally's cry, she burst into action. She neared the door just in time to hear Tara's familiar voice declare that Briana was dead and that, soon, Nunnally would be too. Something inside her snapped and Adeline launched herself through the door and at the aqua-haired girl.

And that was how she found herself in her current situation; her arm was bleeding from the knife that Tara sank into it and her back hurt from its collision with the pillar. Tara held the knife in her left hand, her right arm hung uselessly next to her and her eyes glittered with pain. Tara's eyes flicked to the meeting room and, in that moment, Adeline launched herself at her, slamming another roundhouse kick into Tara's head and throwing her off her feet again.

Tara was quick to get to her feet though and jumped at Adeline, knife outstretched but Adeline, taking advantage of the aqua-haired girl's reckless move, grabbed Tara's uninjured arm and flipped her over her, slamming her onto her back. She then grabbed Tara's uninjured arm and wrenched the knife from her hand, throwing it away.

Tara snarled as she swiftly rolled away from Adeline, her aqua hair curtaining her face as she used her uninjured hand to push her to her feet.. "Why must everyone keep getting in my way? That princess should've fucking died in that fucking museum!" she screamed.

"She is an innocent disabled girl," Adeline shouted, blue eyes flaring with rage. "How dare you? How dare you?!"

It wasn't just because of Princess Nunnally being disabled and innocent that Adeline had snapped as she had when she heard Tara shout that Nunnally was going to die. It was also because of the bad memories it brought back; she could still remember the day her and Unity's village had been destroyed by Britannia, about how the Britannian soldiers actually laughed and stated that the villagers were going to die, many of whom were just as innocent as Princess Nunnally.

To see someone she thought was her friend acting like the Britannians that destroyed her home had just been too much for her to handle and she snapped.

"She's a member of the Royal Family. She deserves to die!" Tara shrieked. "And if you get in my way, I'll kill you too!"

"Try it because I won't let you kill an innocent girl. You are just as bad as the Britannian soldiers who destroyed my village!" Adeline screamed as she lunged at Tara.

"I am nothing like Britannia!" Tara shouted, dodging out of the way and tackling Adeline, sending them both tumbling to the ground again, exchanging kicks, punches, and scratches as they rolled around the ballroom's floor.

"You are a fucking hypocrite if you think you're nothing like those Britannian soldiers who destroyed my village!" Adeline shouted, slamming her fist into Tara's side.

"Britannia destroyed my family and my home too!" Tara shouted. "You should understand me. We've both lost things to Britannia! The Royal Family must pay!"

"It was not them that killed my family and destroyed my village and it most certainly was not Princess Nunnally!" Adeline shouted back.

"She's a daughter of the Emperor."

"Who cares? She was not the one who pulled the trigger, she was not the one who set fire to my home, she was not the one who bombed houses and buildings to root out terrorists! She did nothing like that."

"She's a child of the Emperor. Her crimes are her father's!"

"No child should be blamed for the crimes of her father!"

"Are you really that stupid that you can't see that I'm right?"

"Are _you_ really so stupid that you can't see that _I'm_ the one that's right here?"

All the while they were shouting at each other, they were exchanging punches, kicks, and scratches, rolling across the ballroom floor that was dotted with blood from Adeline's wound. She didn't even notice the pain; her mind was blank with fury so she felt numb to everything else.

"Why do you protect Britannia after what they did to you family and your village? Why don't you seek revenge?" Tara shouted, attempting to knee Adeline in the stomach again.

"Because I don't want anyone else to die for no good reason! Soldiers walk onto the battlefield knowing that they may die and I respect that, that's their decision, but that doesn't mean innocent people who've never seen the battlefield deserve to die!"

"She's part of the Royal Family! She's the Demon Prince's sister."

"So what? She's still innocent. Yes, her brother is the Demon Prince but her brother chose to step onto the battlefield, even though he knows that he might not step off it alive, but she didn't! Her brother chose to fight for Britannia! That was his decision and I respect it because I find it very honorable to fight for one's country!" _Or one's freedom,_ she thought and, realizing what she'd revealed to Tara earlier, she cursed herself. She hadn't meant to reveal that bit about her past but she pushed the thought away. _What's done is done._ "But Princess Nunnally did not! She is just an innocent student who wants to get through high school and you are a fucking hypocritical bitch for going after her like this."

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Tara screamed as they continued to roll around the ballroom floor.

Adeline, pinning Tara down and putting pressure on Tara's injured arm, glared down at Tara. "You are the worst sort of person to ever exist in this entire world," she snarled. _Worse than Nightfall and that's saying something,_ she thought.

Tara spat out a series of curses at Adeline. "You're no miss angel yourself, bitch," she snarled as she struggled to break free.

"I'm not an angel. I never said that I was. Princess Nunnally is the angel and I will not let you harm her," Adeline spat furiously.

"Try and stop me," Tara spat. "You can't do a damn thing!"

"I know the truth," Adeline snapped. "I'll tell Prince Lelouch. I'll tell him everything that occurred here. Princess Nunnally can tell him everything that I missed. Who do you think he's going to believe? Me and his little sister or you?"

"He'll never believe you!"

"Oh? Are you so sure about that?" The new voice that echoed in the ballroom caused Adeline and Tara to freeze in shock.

Slowly, Adeline lifted her head and Tara tilted her head back.

Standing in the doorway of the ballroom and watching them with burning amethyst eyes filled with a hatred and an anger that made Adeline cringe was Lelouch vi Britannia, the Demon Prince of Britannia.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Suzaku: Blaze is still in hiding from Nunnally's fans who are out for her blood so Kallen and I will take care of this ending note**

 **Shirley: why won't Lelouch?**

 **Euphie: you're kidding, right? He's** _ **leading**_ **the band of Nunnally's fans who are out for Blaze's blood**

 **Shirley: oh**

 **Kallen: by the way, where did Lelouch get those dragons?**

 **Suzaku: I honestly have no clue. Anyway, Blaze knows that there's a cliffhanger and she hopes that she will be able to update again within the week but she makes no promises**

 **Kallen: the next chapter has a very important scene in which B.B. is explored a bit more thoroughly but that's then and this is now**

 **Suzaku: do we have anything else to say about this chapter?**

 **Kallen: ...I don't think so**

 **Suzaku: well, I guess I'll just go ahead and end it. If we remember something, we can just mention it in the next chapter. Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter, reviews are much appreciated, and thank you for reading!**


	31. The Code Bearer's Decision

**First things first, you may not be...too satisfied with what ends up happening to Tara. She will get her just desserts, just not yet. (Dodges flaming projectiles, Kylo Ren's lightsaber from Adamantium-Soldier74,and other various types of weapons that can do serious harm to the body) I'm sorry! But it's necessary for the plot, and for Kallen's, Adeline's, Lelouch's, and Nunnally's character arcs! (Gets hit in the face with a machete)** _ **That's it! Bakura! Finish up this note. I'm going back into hiding!**_ **(Runs off to go back into hiding)**

 **Bakura: tch, foolish mortal author. Anyway, Blaze would like to say that this is a short chapter, in comparison with recent ones, and a lot happens in it. Suzaku! You finish up. I'm bored already (walks off to steal something)**

 **Suzaku: (sweatdrops) anyway, so, in this chapter, we get a look into C.C.'s perspective in the pre-chapter, some character development/explanation for Adeline, a rather heart-wrenchingly sad introspection with Nunnally that makes you want to hug her, a very important scene with B.B. that is integral to the plot, and...I think that's it (glances at summary of chapter) Yup, that's it**

 **Kallen: we still have to thank the reviewers. So thank you to** _ **NyxUzumaki13, Blackheads, ShinichiKudoOwnsMySoul, Shadow-Shinobi666,**_ _ **Stickman6969, demedichi, Guest, agarfinkel, Kitsune Ametheyst Destiny, DarthMaine, OBSERVER01, Blacksword Zero, Doommajor, Adamantium-Soldier74, blackmambauk, Shadow At Midnight, DYnoJackal19, Ghoul4Ken123, DigiXBot, Anand891996, B-Kira, Scarease, MOR the Divine Being,**_ **and** _ **Shimmering Sky**_ **for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are great.**

 **Suzaku: Blaze hopes that you enjoy this chapter. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _August 10, 2013_

 _Edge of the Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11_

 _C.C. hadn't expected to end up in this situation._

 _She'd just been wandering the Shinjuku Ghetto, trying to find a good place to sneak into the Tokyo Settlement to check on Marianne's children, when she'd been, unintentionally, caught in the middle of a firefight between a group of Elevens and Clovis's Royal Guard. She wasn't the only one; the Elevens and the Royal Guard were just firing at each other, not carrying about the ricocheting bullets._

 _One of those bullets hit C.C. and threw her off her feet. She crashed to the ground, feeling blood leak out of the wound and her Code activating. The fact that she felt unconsciousness reaching out to her told her that the bullet had hit something vital; the Code always tossed her unconscious when she was hit with a fatal wound._

 _"Damn it! We were tying to avoid civilian causalities."_

 _"Let's just blame it on the Elevens..."_

 _That was all C.C. heard before darkness claimed her._

 _She woke up some time later. She wasn't sure of how much time had passed by but, considering she could still hear Clovis's Royal Guard talking nearby, along with Clovis himself, she figured it hadn't been for very long. She gritted her teeth as her eyes fluttered open, hoping that she could get away before they noticed that she was alive._

 _No such luck._

 _"Wait, she's moving?"_

 _"What?! Her heart was hit. She was dead. She didn't have a pulse!"_

 _C.C. tried to fake being dead but it didn't work as she felt someone come to her side and feel her neck._

 _"She's got a pulse!"_

 _"How is that possible?"_

 _"What the…? Your Highness, you have to see this! Her wound...it's gone! There isn't even a scar!"_

 _"What?!"_

 _C.C. felt someone prod the area around where she'd been shot and cracked her golden eyes open, noticing that Clovis la Britannia, along with his Royal Guard, were gathered around her, staring at her with wide eyes._

 _She gritted her teeth and turned her head, looking for a way to generate an opening._

 _"This is amazing! She actually regenerated! Just think of the possibilities if we could harness that ability."_

 _"What do we do, Your Highness?"_

 _C.C. didn't give the prince a chance to answer as she launched herself at the nearest Royal Guard, grabbing his face and activating her Code, diving into his mind and yanking the man's worst memories to the forefronts._

 _The man fell to the ground, screaming, and C.C. darted over the fallen Royal Guard and bolted away from them._

 _"After her!" Clovis shouted. "Sedate her if you have to but I want her now!"_

 _"Yes, Your Highness!" The rest of his Royal Guard shouted and chased after the green-haired woman._

 _C.C. managed to get a good mile away from the Royal Guard before they caught her by splitting their forces and surrounding her in an alley by blocking both entrances. Curling her lip, C.C. was about to use her Code on another member of the Guard to generate another opening when she felt a sharp prick in her neck._

 _Eyes widening and then dilating, C.C. slumped to the ground, eyes fluttering closed as the sedative surged through her veins, her Code activating and driving her unconscious as it attempted to purge the sedative from her system._

 _ **. . .**_

 **31**

 **The Code Bearer's Decision**

 _March 6, 2017_

 _Ballroom, Student Council Clubhouse_

Lelouch was so furious at the moment that he was pretty sure they would need a new word to describe how he was feeling. He hadn't expected much to happen when he'd arrived at the Student Council Clubhouse and he certainly hadn't expected to see Adeline and Tara trying to kill each other while screaming at each other. And he certainly hadn't expected the things that Tara had admitted during the fight.

He'd been there ever since Tara had shouted about how she was tired of everyone getting in her way and that the "princess should've fucking died in that fucking museum!" Those were her exact words and Lelouch had been furious and probably would have launched himself at Tara had Jeremiah and Suzaku not been quick to grab him with the latter insisting that Adeline seemed to be handling the matter.

And it was true. Adeline was furious on Nunnally's behalf, even though, according to Adeline herself, Britannia had destroyed her home. She still defended Nunnally and a lot of the things that she shouted at Tara had resonated with Lelouch strongly.

 _No child should be blamed for the crimes of her father!_

 _Soldiers walk onto the battlefield knowing that they may die and I respect that, that's their decision, but that doesn't mean innocent people who've never seen the battlefield deserve to die!_

 _Her brother chose to fight for Britannia! That was his decision and I respect it because I find it very honorable to fight for one's country!_

Even though Lelouch fought for his country unwillingly, it was clear that Adeline respected people in the military. And it was also clear that she strongly supported the idea that innocents shouldn't die, which was something that Lelouch agreed upon.

And she'd fought to protect Nunnally. That was something that Lelouch was not going to forget anytime soon.

"Adeline," he said as he strode forward, having slipped out of Suzaku's and Jeremiah's grip earlier. "Where's Nunnally?"

"The meeting room," Adeline said. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I couldn't save her bodyguard and I nearly didn't get there in time but..."

"It doesn't matter," Lelouch interrupted. "All that matters is you did get there in time. Suzaku, please go get Nunnally."

"Yes, my prince," Suzaku said and darted off around him and toward the meeting room. He came out a few minutes later, carrying a crying Nunnally in his arms. Lelouch's eyes softened and he darted to his Knight's side and gently took Nunnally into his arms.

"Big Brother!" Nunnally cried and threw her arms around Lelouch's neck, burying her face into it. "I don't...why did...I didn't..."

"Shh, shh," Lelouch whispered, rubbing Nunnally's back. "It's over. It's over. Shh. It's okay. You're safe. You're safe."

Nunnally kept on crying and clinging to him and he kept on stroking her back, softly reassuring her that everything was okay. Suzaku hesitated but then stretched out a hand and placed in on Nunnally's shoulder, clearly trying to help and Nunnally, removing one arm from around Lelouch's neck, immediately took Suzaku's hand in hers. She kept on crying though but Lelouch's reassurances and holding Suzaku's hand seemed to start calming her.

Before long, the sandy-brown haired princess cried herself to sleep against her big brother. Lelouch, stroking her hair, turned to Jeremiah and the rest of his Royal Guard, his face cold. "Rayne!"

"Yes, Your Highness?" Rayne said as she slipped to Jeremiah's side.

"Go find Milly and tell her and the rest of the student council that they are not to enter the Clubhouse until further notice. I will explain everything to her later," Lelouch ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness," Rayne said with a salute and darted out of the clubhouse.

"Suzaku?" Lelouch said, turning to Suzaku.

"Yes, my prince?" Suzaku asked.

"What of Briana?"

Suzaku shook his head. "She's dead," he said softly.

Lelouch's lips pressed together tightly in a thin line. "Kay, contact 911 and get them here now," he said.

"Yes, Your Highness," Kay said and darted off to fulfill his order.

Naturally, giving orders was calming him down, even though he was still burning with fury and the only thing that was stopping him from putting a bullet through Tara's head was that he wanted answers. He wanted to know: why did she try to kill Nunnally? Why did she come after Clovis in the museum? What is that strange power of hers? Who is she working for? Was she responsible for the first attempt on Nunnally's life?

He wanted answers to all of his questions and he was going to get them one way or another.

"Jeremiah?" he called.

"Yes, Your Highness?" Jeremiah said, moving to Lelouch's side.

Lelouch turned to him and gently held Nunnally out toward him. Jeremiah looked startled but, nonetheless, carefully took her into his arms. The princess, still fast asleep, snuggled close to Jeremiah, burying her face into his chest as she clung to him.

"Take her to the Viceroy's Palace. She will be safe there. If she wakes up, tell her that I will be along shortly. I think she'll be more comfortable with someone that she knows well with her. Don't tell Clovis about what's happened here. I'll tell him myself," Lelouch said. "I'm entrusting Nunnally to you, Jeremiah."

Jeremiah straightened, his eyes blazing with determination. "I shall not betray your trust, Your Highness. No harm shall come to Princess Nunnally for as long as I breathe," he stated in a voice that left no doubt to his conviction. Without another word, he turned and, after giving Tara a vicious glare that promised retribution for this, he strode out of the clubhouse.

Once Jeremiah and Nunnally were out of sight, Lelouch turned to face Tara, gazing at her with icy eyes. Adeline still had the aqua-haired girl pinned to the ground. Tara was snarling out curses, glaring at Lelouch who gave her a hatred-filled look.

"You are lucky, Tara," he said coolly, "lucky that I want answers. That is the only reason why you are still alive."

"Well, I ain't telling you nothing, you bastard," Tara snarled. "So go ahead and kill me 'cause I'm not telling you anything."

Lelouch's face remained cold and hard with hatred. "Don't tempt me, Tara," he snarled. "I will kill you but not without answers." He wanted to kill her but he wanted to ensure that nothing like this happened again and the only way to do that would be to get the answers he sought.

About twenty minutes later, members of the Black Knights along with a medical staff appeared; the latter group went immediately to retrieve Briana's body while the former group went straight to Tara.

Adeline let go of Tara as the Black Knights' grabbed her, handcuffed her hands behind her back, and dragged out of the clubhouse. Once they were gone, Lelouch turned his attention to Adeline and walked over to join the golden-haired young woman.

"You saved my sister's life, Adeline," he said. "I thank you."

"There's no need for thanks, Your Highness," Adeline said with a bow. "I like Nunnally. She's my friend and I wasn't going to let something happen to her."

"Nonetheless, I do owe you," Lelouch said. There was no denying that. This woman had saved his little sister's life, the life of one of the few people in the world that Lelouch truly loved. She deserved something in return.

Adeline's lips pressed together as she straightened up. "There's one thing that you can give me, Your Highness," she said.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?" he asked.

"I want to join your Royal Guard."

Pure silence.

That was the reaction of Lelouch's entire Royal Guard, and his Knight, who stared at Adeline as if she'd grown a second head.

Lelouch was shocked himself, startled that Adeline would request something like that. A Prince's Royal Guard was a prestigious position given only to those that the prince trusts and never to someone who was not part of the military.

"I'm afraid that's not something I can do," Lelouch said finally. "Only members of the military can become part of any member of the Royal Family's royal guard."

Adeline chewed on her lower lip. "Then let me join the Black Knights," she said. "I know how to pilot a knightmare frame. I can fight."

Lelouch studied the golden-haired young woman, his mind turning cogs as he thought about what to do, and about Adeline's first request. "Normally, a regiment doesn't allow someone to join unless they've completed basic military training," he said.

"But..."

"However, in return for saving my little sister's life, I'll make you a deal; defeat my Knight in a one-on-one fight and I will allow you to join the Black Knights."

Adeline glanced at Suzaku who looked just as surprised by Lelouch's suggestion as she did. "And if I fail?" she asked uncertainly.

"You will be given the option to take Briana's place as Nunnally's bodyguard until she is old enough to choose her own Knight of Honor."

Adeline's lips thinned as she thought about it before she nodded, her jaw clenched in determination. "I'll do it," she said.

Lelouch inclined his head and turned around. "Come to the Viceroy's Palace in two hours, Adeline Pelletier. I'll tell the guards to let you in when you arrive. For now, let my medical staff take a look at your injuries," he said and strode off without another word, Suzaku quickly darting after him.

"Lelouch, what are you thinking?" he hissed quietly as he fell into step beside Lelouch.

"I'm thinking there's something more at play here than I have knowledge of and I want to know why. Adeline saved Nunnally's life and I want to know why the first thing she would request would be to join my Royal Guard."

"You want to spy on her," Suzaku realized. "By having her as either part of the Black Knights or as Nunnally's bodyguard, you'd get to keep an eye on her."

"Yes. She's not a danger, at least not to Nunnally, and she already attends school with Nunnally anyway so having her be Nunnally's bodyguard wouldn't be that big of a step up. And if she joins the Black Knights, if she's as good a knightmare pilot as she says she is then she'll be a valuable asset," Lelouch said simply.

Suzaku frowned at that. "Either way, you get what you want because you'll still be able to keep an eye on her," he said.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you need to hold back, Suzaku. I also want to see just what skills she has and if she can stand against, or even beat, you," Lelouch said, scanning the area until he spotted Rayne talking with the Student Council, the newest member being a silver-haired boy that Lelouch has never seen before. _That must be Rai,_ he thought as he walked over to join the Student Council.

"Lelouch? What's going on?" Milly asked concerned when Lelouch joined them.

"Nunnally was nearly assassinated again," Lelouch said.

"What?" The majority of the Student Council exclaimed while the silverette Rai just blinked, glancing at them.

"What happened, Lulu?" Shirley asked, biting her lip, worry in her eyes. "Is she okay?"

"Yes. She's fine, thanks to Adeline," Lelouch said. "She caught the assassin who admitted to, also, being the one who shot at Nunnally at the museum and I believe she may have been responsible for the first assassination attempt."

"Who?" Rivalz asked while Kallen looked down.

"Tara Archer," Lelouch said coolly.

"What? Tara? She tried to kill Nunna? You said that you suspected but I..." Shirley trailed off, her hands going to her mouth as her eyes widened in horror.

"Her? I mean, we suspected it was a student but her?" Rivalz said in shock.

Kallen bit her lip, then said, "I never trusted her but for her to do something like this?" Her voice was dark at the beginning but she managed to mask it with meek confusion by the end, though Lelouch had noticed and wondered just what Tara had done to cause her facade to slip around Kallen.

"Well, I'm glad that Adeline was there," Milly said.

"Yeah, so am I," Shirley said. "Where's Nunna now?"

"I have my Royal Guard Captain taking her to the Viceroy's Palace. She'll probably remain there while we secure things here to ensure that this doesn't happen a third time," Lelouch said.

"Can...Can we see her?"

"For now, I think she needs some time to get over what happened but, perhaps, tomorrow," the Demon Prince replied.

"Yeah, I guess that's to be expected."

"So do you think we should put off introducing you to my newest minion 'till later?" Milly asked.

Lelouch nodded. "Yes, that would be best. I have to return to the Viceroy's Palace anyway to comfort Nunnally and _talk_ with Tara," he said, his voice darkening considerably.

"Right. Okay, Lelouch, we'll see you later. And...send our greetings to Nunnally. Tell her that we'll try to see her tomorrow," Milly said.

Lelouch nodded. "Rayne, go gather the rest of my Royal Guard," he ordered.

The bluenette, who had been silent during the entire exchange between Lelouch and the Student Council, saluted. "Yes, sir," she stated and jogged off.

 **. . .**

 _Rooftop, Main Building, Ashford Academy_

Adeline, after getting her arm bandaged, left the clubhouse and immediately found herself on the roof of the main building, leaning against the railing and watching as Prince Lelouch and his entourage left the academy. Her phone was pressed against her ear, ringing as she attempted to contact her brother. She had to tell him about the prince's offer and see what he had to say about it.

She knew that she had probably been a bit too rash in asking to join the prince's Royal Guard but she knew that if she wanted to find out if the prince could, actually, be the ally that her brother thought he was then she would need to be closer to him. She'd gotten a bit more from Nunnally and the Student Council but she also hadn't been able to speak to the prince because he didn't visit quite as often as she thought he would. Then again, he was probably really busy with his duties as both Sub-Viceroy and the one in charge of all terrorist threats in Japan.

And, of course, he did have Nightfall after his head.

Adeline's jaw clenched. Nightfall. She hated him. She hated that the sadistic psychopath had, successfully, divided her big brother's organization in half, nearly causing it to completely unravel. It was only because of their reluctant agreement to provide a united front to the public, despite disagreeing on a lot of things recently in private, that things hadn't completely gone out of control.

Bu that also meant that Prince Lelouch likely thought all of the Liberators were after his head, when it was only a small portion of it. Even if half of the Liberators agreed with Nightfall's assessment on what should be done with the Demon Prince, only a small portion of that half were actually willing to attempt to kill the prince themselves.

But it wasn't as if Adeline could tell him anything. She couldn't afford to weaken the Liberators by revealing that they were divided, especially not when Prince Lelouch was such a dangerous enemy, and a powerful one at the moment as well. She couldn't risk destroying what her big brother was trying so hard to achieve; she couldn't do that to her big brother.

" _Adi?_ " Unity's voice broke Adeline out of her thoughts.

"Big Brother, I have something to report," she whispered.

" _What is it?_ "

Adeline quickly explained what occurred in the Student Council Clubhouse and, while she was a bit embarrassed by her rash request, she told him about it as well.

" _You...asked him...directly...to be part of...his Royal Guard?_ " Unity said slowly in a tone that suggested he couldn't believe she had been so stupid, or maybe that was just Adeline's interpretation of his tone.

"I know, I know. It was a rash and stupid request. I only said it 'cause I was getting frustrated. He doesn't visit Ashford as often as we thought he would and I haven't really learned much from Nunnally or the Student Council. I thought that if I wanted to get more information on him then I would need to get close to him so I thought of the first thing that came to mind," she said.

" _And what did he say?_ " It was clear Unity doubted that Prince Lelouch would agree.

"He told me that only those who were part of the military could be chosen to join a royal's royal guard so I asked to join his Black Knights instead. I mean, I know I haven't exactly gone through actual military training but I know how to pilot," Adeline said, adding the last part hastily since she had the feeling Unity would've pointed something like that out.

" _That's...a bit less rash but not by much. I have no doubt that he won't let you join for that very reason, that you haven't gone through actual military training,_ " Unity said.

"But he did," Adeline said.

"... _What?_ " Unity sounded confused and Adeline couldn't help but giggle. It wasn't every day that she confused her big brother.

"Well," she admitted as she recalled the prince's conditions. "He said that I had to beat his Knight in a one-on-one fight. If I win, I can join the Black Knights, if I lose then I get the option of being Princess Nunnally's new bodyguard."

Unity hummed. " _It seems to me that he wants to keep an eye on you,_ " he said. " _Both of those options would allow him to do just that. However, both of those options would also allow you to keep an eye on him as well, more so if you're part of the Black Knights._ "

"Yeah. And I'm also going up against his Knight, who's been trained in one-on-one fighting," Adeline said. She was a little nervous but she was also determined; she knew that she didn't have the same kind of training that Suzaku Kururugi had but she definitely had some. She felt that she would be able to win against the Demon Prince's Knight.

" _Don't get too overconfident, Adi,_ " Unity chided her. " _That's one thing that, I know, you still haven't completely overcome whenever you fight._ "

"I can do it," Adeline said in determination.

" _Then I wish you the best of luck. Either way, contact me once it's determined where you're going,_ " Unity said.

"Yes, Big Brother."

 **. . .**

 _Princess Nunnally's Bedroom, Viceroy's Palace_

Nunnally, with a cry, jolted out of her sleep and trembled, her shaking hands gripping the blankets that had been tucked around her. The darkness didn't make it any better but Nunnally knew that it was pointless to wish for light. She was blind and nothing was going to change that, even if it made the nightmare that had jolted her out of her sleep all the more real.

She whimpered as the memory of hearing her big brother get shot melded with the memory of what happened in the clubhouse's meeting room. Tears appeared in her eyes and she wiped them away as she trembled, terror still gripping at her.

While Tara may have been mean to her a few times, she'd liked her and treated her nicely like she treated everyone. But then Tara had killed Briana and then tried to kill her….And, of course, Nunnally was also very upset by the fact that Tara had been the one who shot her big brother. It was so long ago that it happened but Nunnally remembered it vividly as if it had only happened a few days ago.

Her big brother had been willing to do that for her, to take a bullet that was meant for her; she knew that he only did it because he loved her but she felt so worthless because she couldn't do anything to defend herself. She knew that it wasn't her fault but that didn't stop her from feeling kernels of helplessness, kernels that made her feel more than a little sad. She didn't want to lose her big brother, she loved him more than anyone and she would be crushed if anything happened to him. But, with how she couldn't even begin to take care of herself and with assassins trying to kill her a lot recently, she knew that she was only being a burden. She was adding on to her big brother's already heavily laden plate.

And she hated it.

She hated being a helpless burden because that was all she was.

The incident in the Student Council's meeting room had been the final straw that broke the camel's back, had been the final shove that revealed to Nunnally the truth.

 _You worthless bitch…_

Tara's words echoed in Nunnally's head and she tightened her grip on the sheets. That word: _worthless._ Looking back at everything her big brother had ever done for her, she was starting to think that Tara was right. She remembered Lelouch carrying her during the invasion of Japan, taking care of her arm when she'd been shot, him and Suzaku taking turns to keep watch while she slept. And, recently, she recalled him nearly sacrificing his life for her.

And it wasn't just Lelouch and Suzaku who'd done so much for her.

Kallen had been the one to warn her about the first assassination attempt and Shirley was the one that got her out of the line of fire.

Adeline was the one who fought off Tara, even getting injured in the process.

And Nunnally? She was just there, helpless to do anything.

 _Worthless…_

The door to her room opened and Nunnally turned her face toward it. "Who's there?" she called softly.

"Relax, I mean you no harm," a soft voice said and Nunnally frowned because she didn't recognize it.

"W...Who are you?" she stammered out, not really believing the stranger wasn't going to harm her, not after what happened in the meeting room.

She heard the person approach and then she was surprised when she felt a gentle hand rest on her forehead. She felt warmth going through her and the blackness that she'd become accustomed to light up briefly with red light before fading.

"I'm here to throw a little wrench in someone's plan," the voice murmured and Nunnally gasped as a gate seemed to open up and memories entered her mind. The most prominent memory was the one of her father's cold purple eyes, one eye lit up by a glowing red bird-like sigil, and then the blackness that soon followed.

She gasped and jerked her head back, one hand going to her head. "W...What did you do?" she stammered out in fear.

"I have undone what your father did to you. Open your eyes, Princess Nunnally," the voice murmured.

"Why?" Nunnally said in confusion. She knew that she wouldn't be able to see...wait...why did she believe that? She could see just fine, right? She hadn't been born blind so why was she keeping her eyes closed?

With that in mind, for the first time in seven years, Nunnally vi Britannia opened her eyes.

 **. . .**

B.B. watched with a small smile on his face as he slipped to the side as the princess opened her eyes, revealing bluish-purple orbs to the world. The only reason B.B. was even there was because he'd been keeping tabs on Tara ever since the aqua-haired girl went her own way and discovered what Tara had tried to do to Princess Nunnally. So he'd decided to check on the princess for himself and, perhaps, offer her a way of protecting herself, since he knew that she wasn't exactly capable of protecting herself because she was blind and crippled.

However, when he'd found her—after much searching and having to use his power to throw the guard unconscious, which was another power he'd discovered he had a long time ago—he was surprised to discover that Geass had been used on her.

Like any Code Bearer, B.B. could sense when Geass was used on another person. This was one of the many powers that came from having a Code and being continuously connected with the World of C. Just as he would know when Geass was handed out, he would also know if Geass was used on another person.

And he could also reverse a Geass used on another person for reasons.

It had been a rash decision on B.B.'s part and he knew it. He mused that he would've thought that he'd learned his lesson after the disaster with Tara but it didn't appear that he had.

The princess continued to look around, bluish-purple orbs large as she took in her entire room. She reached for the lamp and turned it on, narrowing her eyes as they adjusted to the bright light and then blinking them again.

"It's so...clear..." she whispered. "I...I can see!" The joy in her voice reminded B.B. a little of how Eva used to get whenever she got to do something that she loved, or got what she wanted for Christmas or her birthday. A sad smile crossed his lips but he said nothing as he watched the sandy-brown haired princess continue to take in her surroundings with her recently restored eyesight.

She finally turned her gaze to him. "Why?" she said. "Why'd you do this?"

"As I said before, to throw a little wrench into someone's plan," B.B. said because that had been part of the reason. He had no doubt that in granting Princess Nunnally her eyesight back, the eyesight her own father made her believe she'd lost, would have repercussions but, frankly, he was glad that he had. He wasn't about to pass up the chance to piss off Emperor Charles without him even knowing it.

"That's not a reason," Nunnally said with a frown.

"Perhaps not but that's all I will tell you." B.B. tilted his head to the side when he heard the sound of feet outside. "Someone's coming."

Nunnally turned her gaze to the doors to her room and then to B.B., biting her lip. "You didn't hurt me," she said. "You could've but you didn't."

"Why would I? You're innocent, Your Highness, and I don't harm the innocent."

The door swung open at that moment and B.B., musing that he probably should've left while he had the chance, suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a spinkick that sent him flying into the wall. A moment later, he was pinned to the ground with a certain brunet Knight of Honor holding him down. He managed to lift his head slightly to watch as the Demon Prince, his face a mask of icy fury, stride into the room with a scowling Jeremiah Gottwald, holding his head and glaring at B.B., at his side.

"Big Brother!" Nunnally called. "Big Brother! I can see! I can see!"

And, just like that, the icy mask vanished to be replaced by utter shock as Prince Lelouch's head whipped around to stare at his little sister. Even Kururugi jolted and lifted his head to stare at the sandy-brown haired princess.

B.B. smiled. The look on their faces was priceless and made getting hit with a spinkick and knocked into the wall well worth staying around.

 **. . .**

"Big Brother! I can see! I can see!"

Lelouch jerked his gaze away from the golden-blonde haired young man to stare at Nunnally but, sure enough, those bluish-purple eyes that he hadn't seen for seven years were gazing at him with pure joy glowing in their depths. She held out her arms. "I can see, Big Brother," she cried and the sheer joy in her eyes echoed in her voice.

Lelouch jolted out of his shock and swiftly moved to his little sister's side, gathering her into his arms, feeling her arms curl around him as she cried out tears of joy. He felt his own tears starting to fall at the miracle that he was witnessing. His little sister could see again. He still couldn't believe it and yet, he couldn't deny it.

"You can see," he whispered, pulling back and gazing into his little sister's eyes.

Nunnally smiled at him, her eyes were bright as she studied him, her eyes scanning his face as if attempting to memorize his features. "You've grown rather handsome, Big Brother. No wonder Shirley loves you," she said.

Lelouch sputtered, cheeks going red and Nunnally started laughing before she buried her face into his chest. His cheeks still red, Lelouch looked down at Nunnally and gently stroked her hair, still quietly amazed by this miracle. He'd come in here expecting to have to comfort his little sister and, while he was sure he might still have to do that once her joy at being able to see again died down, he never expected for his little sister to suddenly regain her sight.

He didn't understand it. Something was up and he had an odd feeling the golden-haired man that Suzaku had pinned had the answers that he needed.

He turned his gaze to the young man that Suzaku had pinned to the ground. "Let him up, Suzaku," he said.

Suzaku frowned but nodded and, releasing the golden-blonde-haired young man, stood up, one hand on his gun as if prepared to use it should the man prove to be a threat. The man just dusted himself off, rubbing his jaw, his amber eyes alit with amusement.

"Well, I certainly wish I had a camera. The expression on your face was well-worth getting kicked in the face by your Knight, Your Highness," he said.

Lelouch's eyes narrowed. "Who are you? And what are you doing in my little sister's room?"

"I am B.B. and I came here because I wished to check on Princess Nunnally," the man said. He paused, his eyes taking on a doubtful look and then quiet regret entered his amber gaze. "And I wish to apologize to both of you as well."

Nunnally lifted her face off Lelouch's chest and turned to gaze at B.B., a small frown on her lips. "Apologize? For what?" she asked.

"For what Tara has done."

Silence.

Lelouch's face darkened considerably. "You knew?" he said quietly, shattering the silence, just barely able to keep his rage at bay only because of his little sister's presence. "You knew what Tara was going to do? And you did nothing?" The last words were hissed out as he gave B.B. a glare that was a reason why he'd earned the moniker of Demon Prince.

The golden-blonde-haired young man wasn't fazed though. "I can explain everything but, perhaps, it would be best if we spoke in a different location," he said.

Lelouch's jaw clenched. "Jeremiah, take him to my office. Make sure he does not leave. Send half of my Royal Guard to keep an eye on him," he said firmly.

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah stated with a fist over the heart before he walked over to B.B., grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the room, not seeming to care if he was hurting him or not. Rayne, Kay, and Dimitri went with him while Tadashi and Lila slipped into the room and took up positions on either side of the door.

"Big Brother?" Nunnally said and Lelouch, quickly schooling his expression into a mask to hide his burning anger, turned to look at his little sister. She gazed at him, one hand stretching out to gently stroke Lelouch's cheek; he leaned into the touch, feeling his anger melt away just a little.

"He did a good thing, Big Brother. He gave me my sight back," Nunnally said, smiling up at him before frowning. "But when he did that, he also made me remember something. Big Brother, I think...I don't know how...but I think Father is the one who made me blind."

"What do you mean?" Lelouch asked in confusion.

"I dunno how to explain it," Nunnally said with a frown. "But I remember him looking at me and then I suddenly believed I couldn't see and I just..." She shook her head, causing light brown hair to fly into her face. "I'm being silly." She sounded sad as she said that.

Lelouch gently stroke his little sister's hair. "If you say that happened, Nunnally, then I believe you," he said because this was his little sister and he would always believe her, especially over something like this.

Nunnally bit her lip. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

"What for?"

"For...for being a worthless burden."

The urge to kill Tara raged within Lelouch again but he shoved it aside as he gently rubbed his little sister's back. "You aren't a burden, Nunnally, and you aren't worthless either. If that's what Tara told you then she's lying."

"But I am," Nunnally whimpered. "I can't do anything! I'm just so helpless all the time and I keep creating so much more work for you, Big Brother. I just...someone has tried to kill me three times! The first time, I nearly lost you. The second time, it was because of Kallen and Shirley that I survived. And this time, it was because of Adeline that I survived. Every single time someone's tried to kill me, someone else has protected me and I wasn't able to do a single thing to help!" Tears spilled out of Nunnally's as she started sobbing.

Lelouch bit his lip as he hugged his little sister, trying to comfort her as she cried but at a lost of what to say, for once. He hadn't realized that Nunnally had been as badly affected as she had by what happened and he felt like kicking himself because he should have. He should've known that Nunnally would've been badly affected by nearly getting killed three times but he'd been so busy lately and he felt horrible that he wasn't able to notice that his little sister was on the verge of a breakdown.

"I'm the one who should be sorry, Nunnally," he said softly, stroking her hair. "I should've done something to ensure that this didn't happen. I should've done something to help you deal with this but..."

"No!" Nunnally cried suddenly, jerking backwards out of Lelouch's arms and staring at him with tears still streaming out of her eyes. He, startled by the sudden movement and the sudden shout, let go.

"It's not your fault. I didn't...didn't tell you how I was really feeling because...because I just didn't want to burden you even more than you already were, so I kept it from everyone. I think...I think I was even denying it myself," Nunnally whispered. "This...This shouldn't be your burden to bear, Big Brother. You have so much to do as it is. I...I didn't want to add to that."

Lelouch felt his heart clench as he gazed at his distressed little sister and he stretched out a hand, gently brushing her hair out of her face. "Nunnally, you could never be a burden to me," he said softly. "You should've told me. If not me, you should've talked with someone, at least. Any member of the Student Council would've listened to you, Nunnally."

Nunnally sobbed. "I just...I didn't want to burden them either," she whimpered and started crying again, leaning forward and burying her face into Lelouch's chest.

He gently held her, not saying nothing, just letting his little sister cry and get it all out. _Oh Nunnally,_ he thought sadly. _Have you really been hiding these feelings since that day in the museum? Why didn't you tell me? And why didn't I notice myself?_

 **. . .**

Suzaku watched the entire scene, feeling his own heart clench as he listened to Nunnally's words. _Do you really think you're a burden?_ He thought as he watched the princess cry, clinging on to her brother as Lelouch silently stroked her back, his eyes questioning and there were even traces of guilt in their amethyst depths. Suzaku knew that he was probably feeling horrible because he wasn't able to notice just how Nunnally was really feeling himself.

Suzaku certainly hadn't during the time he'd talked with Nunnally after basic training or, again, when they got back from Hokkaido Island. She was just as good as Lelouch was at keeping up a mask, the Knight of Honor realized, but, in the presence of her brother in the wake of this recent assassination attempt, it was clear that mask had shattered.

"Aw, poor girl," Tadashi said quietly, trying not to ruin the moment between the two siblings.

"Yeah, must've been hard for her," Lila said softly, a look of sympathy in her light-brown eyes.

Suzaku continued to watch Nunnally cry against her big brother before making the decision to try and comfort her again as he had in the meeting room. He didn't know if it would help but he didn't like seeing Nunnally cry; it reminded him of her crying when she'd been shot during the invasion or when they had to part ways and she was afraid that Suzaku wouldn't get to safety.

He moved around the bed and, sitting down beside Nunnally, gently placed his hand on her shoulder. She continued to sob but she did reach up a hand and take Suzaku's hand in hers, squeezing it to show that she appreciated the gesture.

He squeezed her hand in response but said nothing.

"Shh," Lelouch whispered, stroking Nunnally's back. "It's okay, everything's okay now. Shh."

Nunnally continued to sob and it wasn't long before she cried herself to sleep for the second time that day.

Lelouch gently lowered Nunnally to the bed and Suzaku stood up as Lelouch draped Nunnally's blanket over her, tucking her in, a quietly loving smile on his face. He pressed his lips to Nunnally's forehead and pressed his forehead to hers, closing his eyes.

"You will never be a burden to me, Nunnally," he whispered again even though he knew his little sister couldn't hear him. "And I will protect you. I won't let something like this happen again."

He was silent for a long moment and then straightened up. "Lila," he said softly.

"Yes, Your Highness?" Lila said, stepping forward.

"Stay here with Nunnally. Contact me immediately if she wakes up."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Tadashi, guard the doors. No one is to come in or out unless it is Prince Clovis. Anyone else, clear it with me before you let them through. I will _not_ let this happen a fourth time."

"Sure thing, Lelouch," Tadashi said and slipped out the door.

"Suzaku, let's go," Lelouch said and led the way out of Nunnally's room. Suzaku quickly fell into step alongside him.

 **. . .**

 _Lelouch's Office, Viceroy's Palace_

Lelouch and Suzaku made their way into Lelouch's office where B.B. was seated on an armchair. Rayne and Kay stood on either side of the door while Jeremiah was standing right behind B.B., keeping an eye on him as if expecting him to bolt. He was no longer holding his head as he had been when Lelouch had arrived at his little sister's bedroom.

B.B. stood up. "Your Highness," he greeted him with a slight bow.

"Let's skip the pleasantries, B.B. I want answers and I want them now. How do you know Tara Archer? And how did you know that she was going to do this?" Lelouch said coolly.

B.B. inclined his head. "I was the one who sent her after Clovis," he said. "She was never supposed to go after you. Hell, I didn't even know you two were alive either. She just saw you, recognized you, and decided to take matters into her own hands. She saw Princess Nunnally as the easiest target because she couldn't fight back, something I didn't approve of. You have my respect for being willing to jump in front of a bullet to save her, though. Not many out there would do that, even for a sibling."

Lelouch remained silent, observing B.B. with cold eyes. "Why did you send her after Clovis to begin with?" he asked.

"To send a message," B.B. said. "Clovis is the Viceroy of Area 11, thus he is important enough that if he were to die, I had no doubt the Emperor would take notice. And that was what I wanted."

"You wanted the Emperor to take notice?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Prince Lelouch, terrorists and the Numbers are not the only ones who harbor hatred and a grudge toward your father," B.B. said coolly. "I have hated him ever since before he took the throne, him and his bastard brother."

 _Brother? Wait, he doesn't look a day over twenty-five, how the hell was he alive when the Emperor took the throne?_

"As you can guess, I also knew that Tara was going to go after your little sister. She was, indeed, responsible for the assassination attempt on your little sister during that dance last year," B.B. went on, changing the subject before Lelouch could question him. "I tried to talk her out of it because it is not innocent people that I wanted to go after, it is the Royal Family and, specifically, those who are in high enough positions that if they died then the Emperor would take notice. I never wanted Princess Nunnally to be targeted but she refused to listen to me, which I admit was my fault. I should've been clearer to her when I told her that it wasn't just the Emperor who was in charge of Britannia."

"This third assassination attempt had come a bit out of the blue. I only knew about it because, even though Tara had cut all ties with me after I refused to accept her newest plan to kill Princess Nunnally, I started to keep an eye on her. I knew that she would try again and, unlike last time where I was able to get warning to Miss Stadtfeld, this time, I couldn't because I didn't know when it would happen or where."

B.B. continued to gaze at Lelouch with expressionless eyes. "I truly did come to just visit Princess Nunnally and assure that she was all right as well as apologize to both her and you for what Tara has done. Even though she was the one who pulled the trigger, so to speak, I was the one who caused her to head down this path."

Lelouch narrowed his eyes. "Were you the one who gave Nunnally her sight back?" he asked.

"Yes."

"How?"

"I simply reversed what was already done to her," B.B. said with a shrug.

"How?"

"That is something that I will not tell you," B.B. said. "I've already made too many rash decisions recently and I am not about to make another one by giving you information you are not ready to have."

Lelouch's jaw clenched and his eyes flashed with fury. "Not ready? What exactly do you mean by that?" he demanded.

"I shall say nothing more, Your Highness," B.B. said with a cool smirk and he gave a dramatic bow. "Now, if you shall excuse me, I will be leaving."

"Not just yet. You're not done answering my questions," Lelouch said firmly.

"Ah but I am not going to speak any more. Good day, Your Highness," B.B. said and grabbed Jeremiah's arm. A red glow erupted from his forehead, illuminating the quiet smirk on his face and Jeremiah stiffened before collapsing on the ground.

Suzaku darted forward as B.B. released the turquoise-haired young man but the golden-blonde-haired young man was faster, darting toward the window and throwing himself through it. Suzaku darted to the window, swearing loudly. "He landed on the roof," he called back.

Lelouch swore and darted to his desk, pulling out his communicator and immediately connecting to the Black Knights. "This is Prince Lelouch vi Britannia. A dangerous suspect has escaped custody. I want him brought to me alive!" Lelouch said, giving out a brief description of the person before adding, "Search the entire city if you have to, leave the civilians alone though, but find him."

" _Yes, Your Highness_!" Everyone that Lelouch had connected to stated at once.

Sinking into his chair behind his desk, Lelouch waved a hand toward Jeremiah, who was groaning and struggling to sit up. "Someone, see to Jeremiah," he said, resting his head on his hand, jaw clenched. He didn't know what B.B. had done to his little sister and it irritated him that B.B. knew quite a bit but was refusing to tell Lelouch anything. And what the hell did he mean by he wasn't ready to have the information?

While Lelouch did have the answers to the questions that had been swimming around in his mind, now he had a whole new set of questions that he didn't have answers to.

And he still had to contact Clovis. He pulled his phone out and called his elder half-brother's phone but was a bit surprised when Bartley picked up. " _Hello?_ " he said.

' "General Bartley, I wish to speak with Clovis. Is he there?" Lelouch asked.

" _Ah, he is occupied at the moment, Your Highness. I will tell him that you called and have him call you back as soon as he can,_ " Bartley said.

Lelouch frowned. "Very well. Have him call me when he's done," he said finally.

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Bartley said and hung up.

Lelouch gazed at the phone for a long moment, his lips pressed together. _Why do I have this odd feeling Clovis is keeping something from me?_ He thought.

 **. . .**

 _Somewhere, Tokyo Settlement_

... _Well, that went...pretty much how I thought it would go…_

"Shut up, Daniel," B.B. muttered, peering around the corner as members of the Black Knights darted past, looking around for any sign of him. He had figured that the prince would send his regiment out to find him once he got out of that office, through leaping through a window in spite of not wanting to do that earlier—Daniel still found that amusing—but now that left him in a dilemma.

How, exactly, was he supposed to get out of the Tokyo Settlement without getting caught?

B.B. wasn't kidding when he said that the prince wasn't ready to know about the Code or about Geass. He couldn't tell him because if the prince knew about Geass or the Code then it could get back to the Emperor and his bastard brother. And then they would both know that B.B. was actively working to thwart their plans. He'd already made two rash decisions in terms of choosing someone like Tara as his contractor and giving Nunnally her sight back. The first decision had been entirely to draw the Emperor's attention but Tara became so obsessed with killing Nunnally that B.B.'s plan to draw the Emperor's attention using her had fallen through. The second decision was primarily to throw a wrench into the Emperor's and his bastard brother's plan, well that and as a way of apologizing to Nunnally for Tara's actions.

Well, in all honesty, it was more the latter than the former, and because by reversing the Geass command Emperor Charles used on Nunnally, it would likely piss off the Emperor and B.B. did certainly enjoy pissing off the Emperor.

That was, supposing, he even noticed. As far as B.B. knew, no Geass user knew if their Geass command was, somehow, reversed after it was given so the Emperor probably wouldn't know until he saw Nunnally seeing.

He waited until the Black Knights had rounded the corner before, drawing the hood of his jacket over his head, darted across the street and into another alley. He ran down it and began making his way toward the Shinjuku Ghetto, using the shadows to the best of his ability. He knew that his only shot was to get out of the settlement before the city was placed on complete lockdown, which could happen.

He skidded to a halt when he nearly ran into three Black Knights and swiftly darted back the way he'd come.

"Hey, that was him!"

"After him."

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck. Don't you dare laugh, Daniel!_ B.B. shouted in his head as he rounded another corner, panting as he struggled to get ahead of the Black Knights that were chasing after him. Thankfully, they weren't firing their weapons so B.B. assumed that they'd been told to bring him in alive, not that he could die but the last thing he wanted was for them to learn about that.

It didn't help that Daniel had completely ignored him and was snickering in the back of his head.

B.B. swore that Daniel refused to allow himself to be absorbed by the World of C after he died because he wanted to annoy B.B. for the rest of eternity.

He finally reached the edge of the settlement and darted into the Shinjuku Ghetto. Thankfully, there weren't very many people outside so he was able to get through the first part of the ghetto with no difficulty. Rounding a corner, he darted toward the less used area of the ghetto. He glanced over his shoulder, hearing the Black Knights questioning some of the civilians that were out in the streets, and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that he'd lost them.

Then he ran into someone.

With a yelp, both he and the indigo-haired woman he'd run into were sent tumbling to the ground.

"Sorry," B.B. said lifting his head.

"Get. Off," the woman growled, her brown eyes flashing.

"Ah, right." B.B. quickly scrambled off the young woman and stood up, holding out a hand. She watched him warily but accepted the hand and pulled herself to her feet. "Sorry again. I didn't see you there."

"What're you running from?" the woman asked.

B.B. didn't answer when he heard a noise behind him. He grabbed the woman and darted into the alley, pulling them both out of sight as the three Black Knights— _damn, they're persistent—_ entered the street.

"Doesn't look like he's here either," one of them said.

"There's someone. Let's ask him," another said and walked over to join one of the civilians who was standing in front of two small children. The indigo-haired woman clenched her hand into a fist as if expecting something bad to happen.

But it didn't. "Excuse me, Mr.? Have you seen a young man run past here? He's tall with golden-blonde hair. He is a suspect in a recent case in the settlement and considered dangerous," the soldier said to the Japanese man.

"N...No, I haven't seen no one," the young man said, looking terrified as if expecting the soldier to shoot him. "Please, don't hurt me or my children."

"Prince Lelouch has ordered us to leave all civilians alone. We only want the suspect," the soldier said reassuringly.

The Japanese man eyed him warily, clearly not believing him for a second but, when the three soldiers walked away without another word, he relaxed.

"Daddy, isn't Prince Lelouch the Demon Prince everyone's talking about?" one of the children asked.

"Yes, he is," the man said.

"Then why didn't he hurt us? If he's a demon, I mean, I thought demons were scary who always hurt people," the kid said in confusion.

"That's what I thought as well. I think...the media might be painting Prince Lelouch in a light that's not entirely true," the Japanese man murmured and placed his hands on the upper backs of his children. "Come, let's get going."

"Okay, Daddy," the two children chirped and the three hurried off down the street.

"Why is the Demon Prince after you?" the indigo-haired woman asked, frowning at B.B. as he relaxed against the wall.

"Long story short, his little sister was nearly killed, I happened to know the person who did it but I refused to answer quite a bit of his questions," B.B. said and stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get going."

A _click_ sounded and B.B. felt the barrel of a gun press against his side. He paused and cast a sidelong glance at the woman who had a radio pressed against her lips. "Ohgi, I have someone here that we might be able to use to fulfill our end of our deal with Unity," she said.

" _How in the…? You know what, never mind. I'm on my way,_ " another voice sounded over the radio.

B.B. frowned. _Unity. Why does that code name sound familiar?_ He thought. He pushed the thought away and contemplated escaping; he could knock the woman out just as he had Gottwald but he was curious now. Curious about who Unity was, why that name sounded familiar, and what this deal was.

So he decided to just let the indigo-haired woman guide him away from the alley to a spot where they met up with a bushy-black-haired young man, a blue-haired man, and a brown-haired man.

"Who's this guy?" the brunette asked, gesturing a gun at B.B.

"I don't know his name but I do know that Prince Lelouch, himself, is after him," the indigo-haired woman said. "We might be able to use him to lure Prince Lelouch to us."

"It's a risk," the black-haired man said.

"I know that but we need to do something. Thanks to Naoto's spy, we've pretty much figured out our end of our bargain with Michal and this might be our only shot to fulfill our end of the bargain with Unity," the indigo-haired woman pointed out.

The black-haired man sighed. "Good point. All right, fine. We'll take him with us but we need to focus on getting a confirmation from Naoto's spy about what it is Clovis is doing," he said.

"Agreed."

B.B. felt his arms being pulled around his back and felt the snap of handcuffs but he didn't fight because his curiosity was piqued. While the name Unity was one that he didn't recognize, he did recognize Michal's; that was the name of the leader of the Liberator cell that was defeated at Sapporo.

 _This is getting to be interesting,_ he mused silently as he was guided away behind the group deeper into the Shinjuku Ghetto.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Suzaku: Blaze is still I hiding so Kallen and I are doing his**

 **Kallen: is Lelouch still leading the Anti-Blaze Brigade?**

 **Suzaku: (raises an eyebrow) do you honestly have to ask that question?**

 **Kallen: good point**

 **Shirley: Anti-Blaze Brigade?**

 **Suzaku: it's a brigade that has been in the making since Blaze warned her readers about the dreaded chapter thirty**

 **Shirley: I see**

 **Suzaku: anyway, Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter, in spite of how short it was, and reviews, as always, are appreciated.**


	32. The Shinjuku Crisis

**I know it's been a while but work got so busy that I've come home too tired to really think about writing, let alone revising. But hey! I've finally come to update. At the very least, I'll get this chapter up today and, possibly, post the next chapter of** _ **Fall Into Dusk**_ **tomorrow. We'll see.**

 **Anyway, thank you to** _ **harlequin320, MichaelCaboose007, ryder77, Npwall, OBSERVER01, theweird1234, demedichi, agarfinkel, Shadow-Shinobi666, Adamantium-Soldier74, DarthMaine, anand891996, Mr. Q, DarkAeroSage, MOR the Divine Being, Scarease, Doommajor, Guest, Shimmering-Sky,**_ **and** _ **B-Kira**_ **for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

 **I hope that you enjoy this chapter—even if the interrogation scene that I know all of you are looking forward to is not in it and really only alluded to. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! It's necessary—and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _September 10, 2013_

 _Hidden Laboratory, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11_

 _C.C. fidgeted in the straps that had been wrapped around her, pinning her to the table. She managed to get a hand free and, casting a glance at the experimenters that were gathered around, she waited until they weren't paying attention. Then she began to slowly undo the straps wrapped around her; if she could just get free then she could use the Code to get her out of there._

 _Only a month had gone by since she was captured and C.C. had decided that now would be her best chance at getting out of there. If she could get out of the lab then she would have to find a way of blending in with the civilian population to avoid getting caught again. After that, after everything had calmed down, she'd track down Marianne's children._

 _Hopefully, she'll be able to speak with Marianne once she got out of there and the Code purged that sedative the experimenters gave her from her system._

 _But, first things first, getting out of there…_

 _She finished removing the straps and flicked her eyes to the experimenters, judging how quickly she could get to the door before they noticed she'd escaped. She pressed her lips together and, jumping off the bed, bolted for the door as quickly as possible._

 _"What the…?"_

 _"How is that possible? That sedative..."_

 _"Doesn't matter! Catch her, now!"_

 _C.C. didn't bother on seeing who was talking as she grabbed the handle of the door and, wrenching it open, threw herself out of it and bolted down the hallway. The scientists and the guards all made to grab her but, each time that they did, she would grab them in turn and activate her Code; she used it to either drive them insane or knock them unconscious and then bolted, leaving them to fall where they stood._

 _She managed to make it to the main staircase that would take her above ground when she was suddenly surrounded by a large group of soldiers. Scowling, she dove at the nearest soldier, grabbing him and activating her Code. Pushing the screaming, sobbing man away, she jumped at the next one, trying to create a hole in the circle of soldiers to slip through._

 _She managed to knock out or drive insane five soldiers, creating a hole just big enough for her to dart through. Running up the stairs, breathing softly in through her nose and out through her mouth, she made it to the top, grabbed the door handle, wrenched it open, and darted into the hallway beyond._

 _More soldiers attempted to stop her but soon met the same fate as the ones she'd encountered below ground. She was not going to let them stop her from getting out of there; she was not going to let them continue to get away with hurting her as they have. She may be immortal and she may be able to regenerate but that didn't give them the right to do whatever they wanted to her._

 _Even if she was apathetic toward many things, this was not one of them. She'd had enough of dying and coming back to life in the many centuries that she'd been alive and she wasn't too keen on continuing with the constant experiments that'd already killed her dozens of times since she was captured._

 _Besides, she needed to regain contact with Marianne and she needed to check on the vi Britannia children._

 _She rounded the corner, entering another hallway as the alarm began blaring—_ late, aren't they?— _and more soldiers poured into the hallway, chasing after her. A trio of soldiers darted in front of her, holding tazers in their hands; the first got a kick to the groin, the second a fist to the fast, and the third a knee to the gut. She didn't need to use her Code all the time; she'd had centuries to learn how to fight and defend herself after all._

 _She darted through a set of doors and found herself in the main foyer of the lab, the large double doors that were her last obstacle to freedom looming in front of her._

 _She was so close._

 _She ran across the foyer, ignoring the way her green hair flew into her face or how her heart hammered in her chest or how her breath came out in pants. She was going to make it. Foot by foot, she drew closer and closer. She was almost there. She could practically feel the handles of the doors in her hands. Her fingers brushed the handles…_

 _And the_ crack _of a bullet being fired sounded._

 _Pain flashed in her head._

 _She fell to the ground, darkness claiming her, her fingers mere inches from the door._ (1)

 **. . .**

 **32**

 **The Shinjuku Crisis**

 _March 7, 2017_

 _Nunnally's Bedroom, Viceroy's Palace_

Gasping, Nunnally jolted out of her sleep for the second time since the assassination attempt. Blinking her eyes as they slowly adjusted to the darkness, she gazed around as she reached for the lamp, turning on the light. She was still amazed that she could see everything around her; even if she was a burden, though Lelouch insisted that she wasn't—Nunnally still felt as if she was—at least she didn't have to deal with not being able to see. Even though she still couldn't walk, at least she could see.

She gazed around her room, taking in all the details; the pink comforter wrapped around her, the peach-colored walls, the starlight glinting on the black sky outside the large window, Jeremiah looking half-asleep where he was leaning against the wall…

"Jer, what are you doing here?" she asked.

Jeremiah jolted out of the doze he'd accidentally fallen into and turned to Nunnally. "I apologize, Your Highness. I did not mean to fall asleep," he said.

"It's okay, Jer, but why're you here?" Nunnally asked softly.

"Prince Lelouch asked me to relive Lieutenant Moore and take over guarding you, Your Highness," Jeremiah replied. "I suppose I could have stayed outside and I apologize if I have intruded."

"No, no, it's fine," Nunnally assured the turquoise-haired young man. She gave him a slight smile that didn't really reach her eyes, not entirely anyway. She was still upset; she doubted that she'd ever truly get over what happened, or the words that Tara said to her that still resonated deep within her.

 _Worthless bitch…_

"I trust you, Jer," she added, trying to shove those hurtful words out of her head. "What time is it?"

"Four in the morning, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

Nunnally sighed. It was really early but she doubted that she'd be able to get back to sleep. In fact, she didn't really want to stay in her room; she felt like getting some fresh air. Maybe it would help her clear out her thoughts, which might help her get back to sleep.

"Jer, can you do something for me?" she asked.

"Of course. What is it, Your Highness?"

"Can you get me a wheelchair? I want to go to the gardens. I just...maybe some fresh air will help me relax so I can go back to sleep," Nunnally said.

"At this hour, Your Highness?"

Nunnally nodded.

Jeremiah looked hesitant.

"You can come with me if it'll make you feel more comfortable, Jer," the princess added with a smile.

Jeremiah was silent for a long moment before he nodded. "Very well, Your Highness. I will be right back," he said and left the bedroom. True to his words, it only took him about five minutes to find a wheelchair and return with it. He wheeled it over to the bed and Nunnally, using her elbows to push herself into a sitting position, and causing her blankets to pool on her lap, held out her arms to Jeremiah.

Gingerly, he picked her up and placed her in the wheelchair. "I should probably inform Prince Lelouch about this," he said as he straightened.

"I don't wanna wake him up. He needs his sleep, especially after everything that's happened," Nunnally said. "We'll just go for a little while then come back here. Okay?"

Jeremiah hesitated again but nodded. "Very well, Your Highness," he said and, grasping the handles of the wheelchair, wheeled her out of the room.

 **. . .**

 _Lelouch's Office, Viceroy's Palace_

It was about four twenty in the morning and Lelouch was still seated at his desk, going through the various reports he'd received from his Knights, all of them with the same message; they hadn't been able to capture B.B. It was frustrating, especially since Lelouch had no clue of just where B.B. could've gone.

Rubbing his head as he put down the most recent report, Lelouch reached out to pick up another one, using his free hand to cover his mouth as a yawn escaped his lips. He had a lot to do that day. He needed to find B.B. but he also needed to interrogate Tara and oversee the upcoming fight between Adeline and Suzaku, which he had to postpone a day due to what happened with B.B. The latter wouldn't really take much, if any, time but the former was likely going to be like pulling teeth from an alligator.

"Lelouch, I think you should get some sleep," Suzaku said with a worried frown from where he was leaning against the large window of the office. He, Dimitri, and Kay were the ones that were there since Lelouch had his Royal Guard rotate guard duty; half would stay with him while the other half would rest and one member of his Royal Guard would be with Nunnally at all times. Currently, it was Jeremiah's turn while Tadashi, Lila, and Rayne were dozing.

And, naturally, Suzaku was staying up simply because he was taking his duties as Lelouch's Knight as seriously as ever. Naturally, it was only because he wanted to prove himself just as good as a Britannian.

Yawning again, Lelouch waved away Suzaku's worry. "I'm fine," he said.

Suzaku gave him a look that clearly said he didn't believe him. "You can't hope to get all of this done without any rest, Lelouch," he said.

"I'm fine," Lelouch said again.

Suzaku folded his arms across his chest. "If you fall asleep at your desk, I'll just drag you to your room like I did the last time that happened," he said finally.

"I know you will," Lelouch said with a wryly smile and yawned again. He really was tired and, yet, he was so tired that he doubted he'd be able to sleep. Putting down the report he'd been about to read, he stood up, causing Dimitri and Kay to glance at him.

"I'm going to get some fresh air. You two stay here," Lelouch said, walking around his desk and heading for the door.

Suzaku pushed away from the window and immediately fell into step beside the amethyst-eyed prince.

Dimitri and Kay knew that Suzaku was more than a little capable of protecting Lelouch so they did as they were told as the prince and his knight left the office.

"Where're we going?" Suzaku asked.

"I was thinking the gardens," Lelouch said.

 **. . .**

 _Gardens, Viceroy's Palace_

"It really is like the gardens at the Aries Villa," Nunnally whispered as she gazed around the garden Jeremiah was wheeling her around. She could see the trees placed as they were back home along with the artificial stream and the beds of roses and the bushes dotted with asters and violets. It was really beautiful and the moonlight that shone down from the glass ceiling, illuminating the garden along with the wall lights embedded on walls of the indoor garden, only accentuated the beauty.

"I mean, Clovis said it was but to actually _see_ it..." She trailed off, wonder in her eyes. She'd forgotten how beautiful everything was to look at; she'd grown so used to not being able to see that being able to see again, while easier to accept than she thought it would be, was wondrous.

"It brings back a lot of happy memories," she added, smiling softly at Jeremiah. "Remember that one time Big Brother fell into the stream?"

Jeremiah's lips quirked. "Yes, I do," he said.

Nunnally giggled and quietly told Jeremiah to stop as they came near a bush dotted with asters. "Can you get me one of those asters, Jeremiah?" she asked.

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah said and moved over to the bush, gently picking the flower while Nunnally smiled patiently at the turquoise-haired young man.

"You know, when we're alone, you don't have to call me that. I'm probably less comfortable with that than Big Brother is," she admitted as Jeremiah walked back to join her and handed her the aster. She took it and sniffed it, that smile still on her lips. Even if her deep-seated sadness still resonated within her, she was able to push it aside and relax, breathing in the smells of the garden and imprinting everything she could see in the garden to memory. She honestly didn't know if her restored eyesight was permanent, though she strongly wished that it was.

She gazed around the garden and her eyes landed on a new addition that she didn't recall being in the garden at the Aries Villa. She did recognize it as a cherry tree, based on the description Suzaku had given her so long ago, though, its branches dotted with cherry blossoms. "Oh, that's new," she said, pointing to the cherry tree.

"Ah, yes. Prince Clovis had it planted because he wanted to include it in the backdrop of one of his paintings a few years ago and wanted a real-life example to look at," Jeremiah explained.

"It's pretty," Nunnally said, smiling. "I've never seen one before today. I've smelled a cherry blossom before and Suzaku told me what it was but it's even prettier than I thought it was. Can we go over here?"

Jeremiah nodded and guided her wheelchair over to the cherry tree. She asked him to grab her a cherry blossom and smiled as she, taking it from him, brought it to her nose. "It's been so long," she said softly. _Seven years, since we were forced to leave the Kururugi Shrine, seven years since the invasion…_ She found her hand almost self-consciously going to the scar on her arm; looking at it now, it didn't look nearly as bad as she felt it was when she'd first been shot. She knew that the scar would remain though.

The door to the gardens opened and Jeremiah stiffened, only to relax a moment later. "Your Highness," he said with a salute and Nunnally turned to the newcomer, surprised to find Lelouch walking into the gardens with Suzaku at his side.

Lelouch frowned. "What are you doing here, Jeremiah?" he asked as he walked over to join them.

"Princess Nunnally requested that I bring her up here, Your Highness," Jeremiah replied.

"I needed some fresh air, Big Brother. I couldn't sleep anymore and thought the fresh air would help," Nunnally explained as Jeremiah turned her wheelchair around so that she was facing her big brother.

She smiled at him quietly. "This place is so beautiful, almost exactly like the gardens back at the Aries Villa," she added. "I'm so glad that I can actually see it and I can actually see what a cherry tree looks like. It's prettier than I imagined." She held up the cherry blossom that she'd asked Jeremiah to pick for her and then, with her other hand, picked up the aster.

Handing it out to Lelouch, she added, "Asters are your favorite flower, I know."

Lelouch took it while Suzaku raised an eyebrow. "You have a favorite flower?" the Knight of Honor asked.

"Like you don't," Lelouch said.

"True."

Nunnally giggled softly, even if it sounded only half-hearted to her own ears, and held out the cherry blossom to Suzaku since she also knew that cherry blossoms were Suzaku's favorite. He took the cherry blossom, gazing at it with memories and deep sadness swimming in his emerald eyes.

Lelouch yawned, covering his mouth with his hand and Nunnally frowned at her big brother. "Were you not able to sleep any more like me, Big Brother?" she asked.

"He hasn't even gone to sleep," Suzaku said.

Nunnally's frown deepened. _No wonder he looks like he's about to pass out any minute now. Is this my fault? Have I made more work for him that he can't even sleep anymore?_ She thought sadly.

"I'm fine, Suzaku. I'm not even tired," Lelouch said and yawned again, which caused Suzaku to roll his eyes and Jeremiah gave him a look that clearly said he didn't believe him anymore than Nunnally did.

"Why're you still up, Big Brother?" Nunnally asked.

"I've been busy. I have a lot of work to do, Nunnally," Lelouch said.

"But you still need your rest, Big Brother," she insisted, reaching out a hand and taking Lelouch's hand in hers. She bit her lip and looked down. "I'm sorry..."

"Nunnally," Lelouch interrupted her, using his free hand to gently tilt her head so that she was looking at him. He smiled at her, gentle, pure love glowing in his eyes. "I've already told you, you don't have to be sorry. None of this was your fault."

"But you've been so busy lately and what happened to me has only added to that and...I don't like being a burden to you."

"Nunnally," Lelouch interrupted firmly. "We've been over this. You could never be a burden to me. Okay?"

Nunnally squeezed her brother's hand and nodded slowly. "Okay," she said softly even if a part of her still didn't believe it. She yawned and Lelouch chuckled before yawning again himself.

"Those things are contagious," Suzaku said, covering his own yawn while Jeremiah had to bite back his own, though it got out anyway.

"I think it would be best if we got you back to your room, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

Nunnally didn't respond to that. Instead, she squeezed her brother's hand a second time. "Please, get some sleep, Big Brother, for me?" she asked quietly because she didn't want her big brother to pass out from exhaustion and he looked on the verge of doing just that.

Lelouch sighed but nodded. "All right, Little Sister," he said.

"I'll make sure he gets some sleep this time, Nunnally," Suzaku added, casting a sidelong glance at Lelouch. "'Cause we both know that he's even more stubborn than I am."

"That's not possible," Lelouch said wryly.

"I think you're both equal in terms of stubbornness," Nunnally said.

"We are not," Lelouch and Suzaku protested but Nunnally just giggled, a genuine one. Talking with her big brother and the Japanese boy that she'd come to see as another brother himself was definitely helping in easing the guilt, self-loathing, and sadness that she was feeling and allowing her to push it aside for now.

 **. . .**

 _Stairs Outside the Clubhouse, Ashford Academy_

Due to the assassination attempt and the murder that had occurred in the Student Council Clubhouse's meeting room, it was decided that the meeting would take place outside on the steps. They weren't really doing anything important that day; Milly had decided to postpone what she had originally planned in favor of preparing to visit Nunnally. They'd gotten the 'okay' to come and visit from Prince Lelouch earlier that day, from Adeline herself who had to go to the Viceroy's Palace anyway.

Rai had to admit that he was surprised by how well he was adjusting to Ashford Academy, even though he'd only been there for a few days, not to mention on how quickly it was that the Student Council had accepted him. He'd honestly expected them to distrust him, due to his relative newness to the council and the fact that he had no memories and was a virtual unknown to all of them, especially after what happened between Tara and Princess Nunnally.

But they hadn't. They said that they were giving him a chance, in spite of what happened the day before.

"So do you think Rai should come with us?" Shirley asked, glancing at Rai who blinked, the sound of his name bringing him back into the conversation.

"Well, Lelouch seems in a calmer mood now than yesterday so we can introduce him right before Adeline has her fight with Suzaku," Milly said.

"Still can't believe you're gonna fight Lelouch's Knight," Rivalz said, glancing at Adeline. The golden-haired girl, who was doing a couple of warm-up stretches in preparation of her upcoming fight, glanced up. She'd only mentioned the fact that she was going to fight Lelouch's Knight in order to either join Lelouch's regiment in the military or become Nunnally's bodyguard, depending on if she won or lost respectively, because Lelouch had offered her something in return for saving her little sister's life and that was what she wanted.

"Well, I've seen just how much the Black Knights have accomplished and I want to help out and protect those who can't protect themselves just like them," Adeline said with a shrug and glanced at Kallen and Shirley curiously. "By the way, I hear that you two were the ones who saved Nunnally the last time. Didn't he offer something to you too?"

"He did but I turned him down. I didn't need anything and I didn't want anything," Shirley said with a shrug.

"That and he already gave Shirley what she wanted, three times now," Milly said with a teasing grin. "Well, four, if you count dinner with Shirley's parents. Are you gonna go on another date soon, Shirley, and make it five? Or are you gonna take the next step?" She waggled her eyebrows and Rai, catching the implication, blushed a little.

Shirley went red as well. "M...Madame President," she cried.

"What about you, Kallen?" Adeline asked.

Kallen shrugged meekly. "I just asked for something small," she said quietly and didn't elaborate.

"Um, it's almost four. Should we get going?" Nina asked quietly.

"Right, let's get going," Milly said, jumping to her feet. "I think we should walk there. I mean, we might as well start somewhere in trying to help Rai get his memories back so maybe walking through the settlement will help."

"You think so?" Rai asked. "I mean, I don't even know if I'm from here." _Then again, I don't even know if I'm an Eleven, or not,_ he thought.

"Well, it won't hurt to try," Milly said.

"I...guess..."

 **. . .**

 _Private Courtyard, Viceroy's Palace_

Nina gazed around the hallway as she and the rest of the Student Council followed Rayne, the blue-haired girl who was part of Lelouch's Royal Guard, as she led the way to the private courtyard where the fight was going to take place. It was really elaborately decorated but, considering it was the Viceroy's Palace, Nina wasn't that surprised. She'd never visited the Viceroy's Palace before but, all things considered, that wasn't that big of a surprise.

"His Highness decided to hold the fight out of the way," Rayne explained as they walked. "It's not a public affair so he felt that the public didn't have to know about it. Not even Prince Clovis is attending."

"Yeah, wouldn't wanna embarrass the prince by having his knight lose in public," Adeline said arrogantly as they walked into the courtyard.

"I wouldn't count my knight out right away, Adeline," Lelouch said from where he was standing next to his knight with almost all of his Royal Guard gathered around him. Nina noticed that he did look a lot calmer than he was yesterday but she also noticed that he was still tense and exhausted. In fact, it looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.

Adeline shrugged. "I'm not. I'm just confident I can win," she said and smirked at Suzaku. "So I ain't gonna hold back."

"Neither will I," Suzaku said, emerald eyes narrowed in determination.

"Before we do that, we might as well get this over with. I wanna introduce ya to our new Student Council member," Milly said, grabbing Rai and yanking him close to her, causing him to blush since his face was pressed into her assets.

"M...Milly...please let go?" he pleaded, his face bright red.

Milly just chuckled but released Rai as she turned to Lelouch who'd walked over to join them while Adeline and Suzaku moved into the center of the courtyard, studying each other. "This is Rai. Rai, this is Lelouch," she said, gesturing to the prince.

"Um, nice to meet you, ah, Your Highness," Rai said with a bow that was, oddly enough, almost graceful as if he knew how to treat royalty.

"You as well," Lelouch replied, studying the silver-haired boy with expressionless eyes. "Milly told me that you don't have any memories."

"Ah, no, just my name," Rai admitted. "The walk through the Tokyo Settlement didn't really help either."

Lelouch hummed in thought, still studying him and Rai shifted a little under the prince's piercing amethyst eyes. There was no denying that Lelouch could be an intimidating sight and his moniker of Demon Prince as well as what happened the day before still on his mind only made him even more intimidating, as was clear by the uncertainty and slight fear on Rai's face.

Nina felt a pang of sympathy for the boy. She wasn't scared of him, not really. She was uncomfortable around him but that was only because she'd been uncomfortable around boys for a while since that day. But the boy wasn't Eleven, or didn't _look_ Eleven anyway, and that was really the only reason that Nina had come to tolerate him. It was the same with Adeline since she knew that Adeline wasn't Britannian but she wasn't an Eleven and, gradually, Nina had come to tolerate her too.

But whether he was Eleven or not, there was no denying that he was terrified of the Demon Prince.

And Lelouch seemed to know it, if that smirk that was on his face was any indication.

"You're scaring him, Lulu," Shirley chided, coming to Rai's side and placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"It just seems rather curious," Lelouch said thoughtfully, "of just how he came to Ashford Academy and only a day before the attempted assassination."

"You're not accusing Rai of having anything to do with what Tara did, are you?" Milly said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh no. That is unlikely. But that just makes it harder for me to trust him," Lelouch said, turning his gaze from Rai to Milly. "But I trust you, Milly, so if you say he'll be fine then I'll give him a chance." He never said that he would trust him but Nina wasn't expecting him too; when it came to earning Lelouch's trust, one would have better luck convincing a mountain to move on its own.

"I kinda figured that'd be the best I'd get, especially after what happened yesterday," Milly admitted.

Without responding to that, Lelouch decided to get on to the main reason why they were there and turned around to face Suzaku and Adeline. "You two may begin when you're ready. You'll fight until one of you gives," he said.

Suzaku nodded, jaw clenched in determination.

"Sure," Adeline said, stretching her arms above her head and brushing her golden hair off her shoulder.

"Rules?" Suzaku asked, not taking his eyes off Adeline.

"Hand to hand combat. No weapons and don't kill or otherwise seriously hurt each other," Lelouch said.

"In other words, basically anything goes," Adeline said and grinned. "I can live with that." Without another word, she darted toward Suzaku, intent on tackling him but the Eleven Knight of Honor was swift and, dare Nina say it?, graceful as he spun out of the way, jabbing a fist toward Adeline's side. The golden-haired woman front-flipped to avoid it and, once she got to her feet, barely dodged out of the way to avoid the spinkick that Suzaku aimed at her.

"She's fast!" That burnt-orange-haired Eleven boy Tadashi, that Nina tried hard not to get near since he terrified her even if he was part of Lelouch's Royal Guard, exclaimed. "I've never been able to dodge one of those damn spinkicks!"

"Neither have I. And those things hurt," Rayne huffed.

"You were the one who challenged him to a fight and told him not to go easy on you," Kay pointed out.

"True."

Cartwheeling to the side, Adeline jumped forward, aiming a roundhouse kick at Suzaku but Suzaku ducked down and, with a sweep of his leg, swept Adeline's legs out from under her. With an "oof", Adeline crashed onto the ground and Suzaku pinned her, only for her to knee him in the gut and jam her elbow into his chest, forcing him to let her go. She flipped to her feet and dove toward Suzaku who swiftly dodged to the side, eyes narrowed in thought as he and Adeline began circling each other. Adeline was panting slightly but Suzaku didn't even look winded.

"He sure has a lot of stamina," Kallen noted as the Knight and the golden-haired girl continued to fight.

"Exercise nut," was all Lelouch said.

"I heard that," Suzaku said, not taking his eyes off Adeline as the two put some distance between them and began circling each other again.

"You were meant to," Lelouch shot back amused.

Adeline ran forward, intent on using the supposed distraction to her advantage and aimed at punch at Suzaku's stomach but he stopped her in her tracks by grabbing her wrist with both of his hands and swiftly threw her over his shoulder. With a yelp, she landed hard on the ground behind him but quickly scrambled to her feet, only to find herself on the receiving end of a spinkick that threw her off her feet before Suzaku had her pinned, her arm pressed against her neck while her other arm pinned beneath her.

Nina winced.

"Ouch," Rivalz said.

Adeline gritted her teeth and tried to wiggle free but it was clear that she couldn't without risking an injury. Sighing in defeat, she relaxed. "I give," she said.

Suzaku relaxed his grip and jumped off Adeline, stretching out a hand toward her. She took it and pulled herself to her feet, panting and wiping beads of sweat from her forehead.

"Wow, you're pretty good. I didn't know you knew _judo_ ," she said.

Suzaku smiled sheepishly. "Well, I'm not a master or anything but I was taught a little when I was growing up," he admitted.

Adeline huffed. "Well, you're certainly good," she said.

Lelouch walked over to join the two of them. "You put up a good fight but it wasn't enough to join my knights," he said. "However, the option to become Nunnally's bodyguard is still open."

"I'd like to accept that option then, Your Highness," Adeline said.

"Very well."

"Gotta admit, that was an impressive fight," Rivalz said.

"Yeah," Kallen said.

Nina nodded slowly in agreement.

 **. . .**

 _March 14, 2017_

 _Abandoned Subway Tunnel, Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11_

One week had gone by since the fight between Adeline and Suzaku and things were starting to happen really fast. Kallen had been at Ashford Academy with the Student Council helping Nunnally adjust to being back in the clubhouse when she'd received a message from Ohgi. They had confirmed the item that Prince Clovis was working on and they were now going to discuss what to do next. So Kallen, making up an excuse that she had a doctor's appointment, quickly left and headed for the abandoned subway tunnel in the Shinjuku Ghetto.

Kallen still didn't exactly trust the Liberators, not after what happened to Naoto, but she was willing to trust Ohgi and if Ohgi trusted those two Liberators than she did too. She still wasn't entirely sure what to think of the leader of the Liberators', or rather half of the Liberators, desire to have the Demon Prince alive though. But then she did recall some of the little things that she'd learned about the Demon Prince herself; she knew that they had been used as political hostages and remembered that _look_ on the prince's face when he spoke about that and about the invasion.

She still didn't know why they hadn't gone back to Pendragon after the invasion though. She had considered asking Nunnally but since Nunnally didn't know about the political hostages reason why they were exiled, Kallen didn't know that she would know why they never went back. Either that or she would say it was for the same reason that they were exiled; to keep them safe.

It would make sense. It was clear, just by that look on Prince Lelouch's face, that he did harbor much resentment for being exiled.

And, according to Michal, that was something Unity had noticed as well, or rather assumed was true based on what he discovered on the news about the vi Britannia siblings.

Basically speaking, Unity wasn't about to condemn the prince without first garnering concrete evidence that the prince couldn't be swayed to turn against his country. Kallen wasn't entirely sure if that was possible herself.

However, in comparison with Nightfall's approach—which was to just murder the prince in the most grotesque way possible for no other reason than his hurt pride, according to Reyes, and because he was a dangerous enemy—and based on what Kallen knew herself, Unity's plan was better.

Of course, Kallen could be being biased because of the relationship she saw between Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally. She saw the love that glowed in Lelouch's eyes whenever he was with his little sister, and seeing the princess's own eyes—that was still something that took the _entire_ Student Council by surprise since none of them had expected Nunnally to have regained her sight—light up with love and happiness whenever she saw Lelouch. And she somehow knew of just how devastated Nunnally would be if she lost her brother, mostly because she knew of what it felt like to lose a brother.

And she didn't want Nunnally to feel that kind of pain.

Prince Lelouch, the Demon Prince of Britannia, was a very dangerous enemy and Kallen would gladly fight against him if it meant freeing Japan from Britannia's control and could very well kill him on the battlefield. That was the nature of war though and Kallen wasn't stupid; she knew that the prince knew that, as a soldier, there was a chance that he would not walk off a battlefield he walked onto.

But what Nightfall wanted to do to the prince was not killing him on a battlefield or fighting him honorably.

Kallen still remembered Christmas Day, the day in which retired Major General Stromberg had been viciously mutilated and murdered and that bloody message had been left for Prince Lelouch, telling him that the same thing would happen to him. Kallen had learned, from Michal, that it was Nightfall, the one in charge of the second half of the Liberators' organization, who'd done that to Stromberg.

 _"What happened to Stromberg was not something that Unity wanted. He doesn't believe in that kind of senseless murder. Killing on the battlefield is one thing, soldiers march onto the field knowing that they will have to kill or may not walk back off it, but killing someone off the battlefield, and while he was unarmed and unprepared to fight back—according to Nightfall himself—like that. That's crossing the line."_

Kallen agreed with that. If Nightfall wanted to kill the Demon Prince the same way he killed retired Major General Stromberg, while he was unarmed and unprepared to fight back, then Kallen was not going to support him.

Even if it meant that she would have to try and find a way to capture the Demon Prince, one of the most dangerous enemies her late brother's resistance has ever faced who may very well be fighting for Britannia willingly, it was still better than what Nightfall wanted to do.

Though Kallen still wondered what Unity expected to do if the prince refused to be swayed to join them. Would he kill him? Kallen very much doubted that they would just let him walk away.

It took Kallen a moment to realize that she'd been so deep in thought that she didn't notice that she'd reached her destination.

She glanced over her shoulder to make sure that she wasn't being followed and made her way into the tunnel, walking down it until she could barely make out the figures cloaked in shadows with only a few spears of light puncturing the darkness.

" _Sakura_ ," she called out.

" _Hana,_ " one of the figures called back, using the two Japanese words that they'd decided on to show that they were alone and were allies when they all got to the rendezvous.

"I still don't like this," Ohgi said as Kallen joined him and the rest of the Kozuki Resistance as well as Michal and Reyes.

"She's old enough to make her own decisions," Michal said patiently.

"I know but…" Ohgi sighed and shook his head. "But you're right. Kallen is old enough to make her own decisions. All right. Let's get to work."

"So we found out that it is a poison gas capsule," Inoue said as Kallen sat down cross-legged next to the subway tracks. "Clovis has been developing it for a few years at least and, according to Naoto's spy, it looks like it's about ready."

"So what're we gonna do?" Tamaki asked. "I mean, we've confirmed what Clovis was making so we don't really have to do anything else, right?"

"That's up to you," Michal said. "You have kept your end of the deal for me but it's up to you if you wish to aid us some more. We could use it."

"What, exactly, would you need help with?" Sugiyama asked.

"Retrieving that gas capsule," Reyes said with a shrug as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's clear that we can't leave such a powerful and dangerous weapon in Britannia's hand but Michal and I are the only one's left of our cell."

"We also haven't been in touch with Nightfall and his cell since the Liberators were split," Michal said. "Nightfall's cell supports him so refuses to have anything to do with Unity and his half of the Liberators. So we can't expect any help from them and we're only two people. That is why we request that you help us get this gas capsule out of Britannia's hands."

"We can't leave such a weapon in Britannia's hands," Nagata said with a frown.

"Yeah. Clovis could use it on the Elevens in an attempt to smoke out any terrorists," Minami said with a frown.

"I thought General Andon was in charge of trying to take out the terrorists," Sugiyama said with a puzzled frown. "Would he use it?"

"I wouldn't put it past him," Kallen said darkly, hand clenching into a fist but she forced herself to relax. "And if that's the case then we definitely gotta get it out of their hands."

"I agree," Inoue said with a nod. "It's too dangerous but just how are we going to get it away from Britannia? I mean, Naoto's spy knows where it's being kept but the security'll be too tight for us to try to break through."

Reyes grinned. "Actually, I've come up with a plan for that but it'll only work if you all are willing to help," he said. "If we can force them to leave the lab and take the poison gas with them then you can take the gas from them in the confusion."

"Forcing them to leave the lab is the hard part," Ohgi said with a frown.

"I know but Michal and I have already thought of that."

"So will you help?" Michal asked.

Ohgi glanced at the Kozuki Resistance members around him.

Kallen stood up, causing everyone to look at her. "We can't let that gas stay in Britannia's hands, not when there's a very high chance that they will release it. Even if I still don't trust the Liberators, if they can help us get that gas capsule out of Britannia's hands then I think we should help," she said.

"I agree," Inoue said with a nod.

"Everyone?" Ohgi said, turning to the rest of the group and they all nodded in agreement. "All right. Michal, what do you need us to do?"

Michal smiled. "Here's the plan," he said quietly.

 **. . .**

 _March 17, 2017_

 _Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement_

Lelouch made his way down the hall of the Viceroy's Palace, heading for his elder half-brother's office, his thoughts on many things at once. One thing on his mind was Tara; the stubborn girl wasn't telling him anything, just as she said she would. Even if B.B. had admitted to sending Tara after Clovis, Lelouch wanted answers for why Tara would decide to go after Nunnally instead. Not to mention that strange power she'd used to throw everyone around like ragdolls in the museum but she refused to say anything.

Naturally, Nunnally was on the forefronts of his mind. She still flinched at the slightest of sounds and woke up screaming from nightmares. She also didn't feel comfortable with anyone she didn't know around her, even with Adeline, her new bodyguard, at her side. She was slowly starting to warm up to the new boy Rai but she still shied away from him occasionally.

It was understandable that she would be afraid of newcomers since it had been someone she'd only meet a few months beforehand who'd tried to kill her three times.

Hoping to find a way of helping her come to terms with what happened, Lelouch had asked her if she would consent to speaking with a therapist who was trained to help people who'd experienced trauma. After much consideration, she'd agreed; that was two days ago but Lelouch knew it would take time for his little sister to start coming to terms with what happened.

Another thing that was on his mind was the lack of terrorist activity since the incident in Akita. While Lelouch knew that his victory against the Liberators had been impressive, and Diethard certainly succeeded in making it even more impressive with his reporting skills, it still didn't explain why there was _absolutely nothing happening._

There were too many terrorist cells in Area 11. Why did all of them decide to go to ground?

It just didn't make any sense.

And yet another thing on his mind was Nightfall. Ever since that death threat that he'd left during the Christmas Ball, he'd still done _absolutely nothing._ While Lelouch wasn't looking a gift horse in the mouth, it just seemed really odd that he wouldn't do anything after making such a threat.

Nightfall wasn't just talk. Lelouch learned that after his fight against the psychopath at Sapporo. But it was starting to seem as if he was just talk, unless that was what he wanted Lelouch to think.

 _Perhaps he's trying to lull me into a false sense of security before he strikes,_ Lelouch thought. _It would explain why he hasn't acted since Christmas._

He brought himself out of his thoughts as he and his Knight reached Clovis's office and raised a hand to knock but paused when he heard voices from within.

"...news on the Code-R project?" Clovis's voice said, causing Lelouch to lower his hand, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing, Your Highness," Bartley's voice said. "The terrorist spy we found has been executed but he refused to give up whether he told anyone about the project."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed even more. _Terrorist?_ He was supposed to be the one in charge of the terrorist threat in Area 11 and yet Clovis seemed to know something about a terrorist and didn't tell him? Why? And what was this Code-R project they were talking about?

A sigh of frustration sounded. "We need to find out if he told anyone and we've got to do it as discreetly as possible. We cannot have anyone finding out about the Code-R project, especially not Lelouch," Clovis said.

 _What are you keeping from me, Brother?_

"While he didn't tell us about whether he told anyone about what he saw, he did mention something: the Liberators."

Lelouch froze and Suzaku, who was listening in on the conversation at Lelouch's side as well, frowned and glanced at him.

"That just makes it worse," Clovis exclaimed in frustration. "If the Liberators know about Code-R then that could spell doom for the entire Empire, especially if they are able to get their hands on it. Double security around the lab. We cannot have the project fall into the Liberators' hands."

"And Prince Lelouch? He is in charge of the terrorist threat. Should he not be informed that the Liberators may be making a move?" Bartley asked.

"No, no. I can handle this. Lelouch doesn't need to know a thing," Clovis said.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Lelouch's jaw clenched. _So you won't tell me that the Liberators might be making a move? Even if it doesn't seem to be against me, this time, I should still know about it given the orders I was given,_ he thought but schooled his expression into one of impassiveness as he finally knocked on the door.

There was a long moment of silence, then: "Come in!" Clovis called.

Lelouch opened the door and stepped into the office, inclining his head in greeting to both Clovis and Bartley as Suzaku slipped into the room behind him. "Brother," he greeted Clovis calmly.

"Ah, Lelouch, welcome. You're a bit early," Clovis said with a gracious smile. He waved a hand to dismiss Bartley who bowed and walked out of the room, Suzaku moving to the side to allow him past. "Please, take a seat. You have some news, I suppose?"

"Not much, unfortunately," Lelouch said, taking a seat and Suzaku moved to stand to the right of his chair. "Tara is still being stubborn and refuses to answer why she went after Nunnally."

"I'm sure, given enough time in a cell, she'll open up eventually. How is Nunnally doing?"

"Beyond happy to have her sight back but still deeply traumatized by everything that has happened. I suppose I should be thankful she didn't gain her sight back until _after_ the attack, otherwise, I suspect it would be worse. She gets along with her therapist, which is good, though I know it's going to take time for her to actually start to heal," Lelouch said.

Clovis nodded in agreement. "Do you still not know how she regained her sight?" he asked.

When Clovis had first found out that Nunnally had regained her eyesight, he'd been overjoyed but also just as confused as Lelouch was by how it happened. Lelouch only knew that B.B. had been responsible for it but didn't know how and hadn't told Clovis that because he wanted to get the whole story before he told anyone.

"No," Lelouch said.

"It truly is a miracle though and I am more than happy for her," Clovis said. "And how are you doing, brother?"

"I'm fine." And he was. In the days since his late night talk with Nunnally in the gardens, Lelouch was getting a lot more rest than he had been before and, as a result, he was able to work much better because he wasn't in danger of passing out from exhaustion anymore. That also made Nunnally happy and Lelouch, naturally, would do anything to make Nunnally happy.

Clovis nodded. "Any news on the terrorists?"

 _Except for the Liberators that you won't tell me about…_ "No. I suspect they've gone to ground since Sapporo, though I honestly cannot say why," Lelouch replied.

"Perhaps your very presence has driven them to hide, Demon Prince," Clovis said with a smirk.

 _I honestly doubt that's it. There has to be another reason…_ "Maybe," Lelouch said out loud.

 **. . .**

 _March 21, 2017_

 _Roof, Abandoned Building, Near the Outskirts of the Tokyo Settlement_

"You sure this is going to work?" Reyes asked, glancing at Michal from where the two were positioned on the roof of a building with a perfect view of the hidden laboratory that Naoto Kozuki's spy had found. He had his pair of binoculars hanging around his neck on a thin cord while Michal's were pressed against his eyes as he scanned the lab.

"It's our only chance."

"But entrusting this mission to such a new resistance..."

"Unity has faith that they can pull it off."

Reyes huffed. "Unity also thinks that they can actually capture the Demon Prince," he said.

Michal sighed and, lowering his binoculars, turned to Reyes. "At the very least, if the Kozuki Resistance proves themselves in this mission and then agrees to join the Liberators, we will be able to finally recreate the cell we lost at Sapporo. Unity's forces are less than Nightfall's because of our loss at Sapporo. We need to gain more supporters for Unity and this might be our chance to do it."

Reyes huffed. "Yeah but they don't trust us," he said.

"Who's fault is that?"

" _Dios!_ I get it! I fucked up! Will you stop bringing it up?" Reyes complained, throwing his hands above his head in frustration and uttering a string of Spanish curse words under his breath.

Michal, ignoring those curses that Reyes was spewing, brought his binoculars back to his eyes as he returned his gaze to the hidden lab. "Trust is not given, it's earned. We simply have to earn their trust," he said.

A _boom_ sounded in the area of the lab.

"It's started," Michal said.

Reyes brought his own binoculars to his eyes. "Good thing the Yamato Alliance were easy enough to convince to do this," he commented. "Shame I don't really care for how they operate, otherwise I'd suggest that we invite them to join the Liberators."

"They work for this situation but Unity would never allow them to join him. Nightfall might."

Reyes cast a sidelong glance at Michal. "You do realize that this act could, very well, bring the Demon Prince down on the Yamato Alliance should he find out that they were responsible for it, right?"

"Yes. And?"

Another explosion sounded around the lab.

"...Just what did the Yamato Alliance do to piss you off, Michal? You're normally the level-headed one outta both of us," Reyes said bewildered. There was no denying that Prince Lelouch was on the same level as Prince Schneizel in terms of being a dangerously brilliant military strategist and tactician. And Michal knew that the Yamato Alliance sucked at coming up with strategies. If he wanted, the Demon Prince could destroy the Yamato Alliance just as he'd destroyed Michal's cell at Sapporo, and probably have an easier time at that.

And Michal would be cheering him on the entire way.

"It's made up of a bunch of sheep who willing follow the orders of their leader, no matter what, and their leader is psychotic. It wasn't that bad when Izumi was in control but then he'd gotten killed a couple of years ago and the Yamato Alliance has gone downhill since then," Michal said with a growl.

"How bad?"

"On the same level as Nightfall."

"Oh wonderful, we have another psychotic bastard on our hands." Reyes scoffed, cursed in Spanish, and said, "If they're as bad as Nightfall then I hope Prince Lelouch destroys them."

"Agreed."

 **. . .**

 _Abandoned Building, Shinjuku Ghetto_

"So how long are we going to keep him here?" Inoue asked, gesturing toward where B.B. was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, one arm resting lazily around his bent knee and the other on his other leg. They'd taken off the cuffs within a few days of him being brought there once he made it clear that he wasn't going to run. He also knew all the names of the members of the Kozuki Resistance because he'd simply been paying attention whenever they greeted each other by name.

"Michal said that if we can use him to lure the prince to us then we should keep him here until we can actually do that. But, right now, we've gotta focus on the mission," Ohgi said. "Kallen and Nagata should be at the extraction point right now so we should get moving."

"Should someone stay and watch him?" Sugiyama asked, gesturing toward B.B.

"I will not leave," B.B. said without opening his eyes. "I am simply too curious about the outcome of this Unity's plan to leave."

"I don't trust ya," Tamaki said, waving a gun in B.B.'s direction.

"You don't have to trust me, you just have to trust in the fact that I have nothing to gain by leaving."

"You also have nothing to gain by staying," Yoshida pointed out.

"Oh but I have much to gain by staying," B.B. said with an enigmatic smile.

"We can worry about our...eccentric guest later. Right now, we need to get into position to backup Kallen and Nagata," Ohgi said finally.

"Right," the rest of the Kozuki Resistance said in unison before they left the abandoned building.

... _Just what do you hope to gain by this?…_

B.B.'s eyes fluttered open and he smiled but said nothing.

 **. . .**

 _Ballroom, Viceroy's Palace_

Lelouch contemplated whether he could sneak out of the ballroom while his brother wasn't watching because, frankly, he was bored out of his mind.

Sipping at his wine, he let his amethyst gaze scan the crowd of nobles that were talking with each other and laughing at some random joke. His knight was by the door along with his Royal Guard and they all looked just as bored as Lelouch felt.

 _Why did I have to come here again?_ He thought and then remembered that Clovis insisted on it and then managed to _convince_ Nunnally to convince Lelouch to go and, naturally, Lelouch could not say no to his little sister. He sighed and wandered around the ballroom, eyes scanning the area.

"You Highness," a voice called out and Lelouch turned to find a couple walking toward him. While they were dressed in formal wear for the ball, they also walked in a way that reminded Lelouch of soldiers. The man reminded Lelouch, instantly, of a taller version of Dimitri so he figured that they were his parents, which made him wonder why they were there; as far as he knew, Dimitri's parents lived in Osaka.

"Yes?" he said politely.

"We were unable to meet you when your brother was introducing you to everyone and then there was that tragedy at the Christmas Ball, which really was a shame since I rather respected Major General Stromberg and..."

"Diana, dear, you're rambling," the man chided his wife lightly and turned to Lelouch, giving him a short bow. "I apologize, Your Highness. Diana is rather nervous when it comes to speaking with royalty. I am Lord Eric Duncan and this is my wife Diana."

"A pleasure, Lord and Lady Duncan," Lelouch greeted them with a slight incline of his head. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Simply to greet you and introduce ourselves since we haven't had the chance before today," Diana said, smiling a little nervously and clearly trying not to ramble as she had earlier.

"You certainly have made a name for yourself, Your Highness," Eric said. "You remind me of your mother. I may not have known Marianne that well but I did know her reputation. It really was a shame what happened to her."

"Yes, it was," Lelouch said, his voice guarded.

Diana seemed to have noticed because she smiled a little. "I know not many noble families supported your mother because of her background but, while we weren't quite as publicly supportive as the Ashfords, we did support her," she said.

"Not many have but I am grateful to find another family willing to look past my mother's heritage and see her for who she truly was," Lelouch said.

Before Diana could respond, Dimitri and Suzaku darted to Lelouch's side. "Sorry to interrupt, my prince," Suzaku said with a bow, "but Dimitri's learned something."

"What?" Lelouch asked, turning to face Dimtiri who's headset was pressed against one ear and his other hand was holding a tablet, his eyes were narrowed.

"Intercepted a message, Your Highness," he said. "It would appear that an area on the edge of the settlement has been attacked. There are no causalities and only minimal injuries and the 1st Regiment has managed to drive the attackers away but it appears that it was a terrorist attack."

Lelouch's lips pressed together in a thin line. "The Liberators?" he asked.

"No, Your Highness, or, at least, they didn't leave their crest behind as they usually do so I do not think it's them," Dimitri said, narrowing his eyes as he listened to whoever was speaking on the other line.

Lelouch hummed in thought. "And was there any attempt to contact me to inform me about this attack?" he asked, glancing at Suzaku as well. Both of them shook their heads and Lelouch's eyes narrowed.

"Considering I'm supposed to be in charge of the terrorist threat in Area 11..." He trailed off, his thoughts turning cogs in his head. If no one was contacting him to inform him about this attack or even ask for the assistance of the Black Knights, despite the fact that Lelouch was supposed to be the one in charge of all things involving the terrorists, then there was a chance it had to do with the Code-R project.

"Excuse me, Lord and Lady Duncan. There is something I need to take care of," Lelouch said, turning to Diana and Eric.

"Of course, Your Highness," Eric said with a bow and Lelouch turned before striding away, cloak billowing around him and Suzaku immediately fell into step beside him. The rest of his Royal Guard filed out of the ballroom after him, Jeremiah coming to Lelouch's left side, a small frown on his lips.

"What is it, Your Highness?" he asked.

"I'm missing something," Lelouch murmured. "Dimitri just informed me that he intercepted a message speaking about a terrorist attack and, yet, I wasn't informed personally about it."

"That is odd," Jeremiah said.

"Agreed."

"So what will you do?"

"For now, Jeremiah, I want you to contact the Black Knights and have them on standby just in case the terrorists are not as defeated as they appear. The rest of you, remain here for the time being; Dimitri, keep monitoring the situation."

"What about you?" Rayne asked in confusion.

"I'm heading for the base to see if I can find more information about why I wasn't informed about this attack," Lelouch replied.

"Alone?" Kay echoed.

"Suzaku will accompany me and we will both go in disguise. If the terrorists do decide to attack the settlement then the Black Knights will be needing you. It will be easier for just Suzaku and I to get to the base without being hounded by the media and potentially drawing the terrorist's attention to me," Lelouch said.

"This is reckless, Your Highness," Jeremiah said, narrowing his eyes. "What do you hope to gain by doing this?"

"Answers," was Lelouch's response because he knew that if he could get to the base without anyone noticing him, and by anyone he meant Clovis, Clovis's Royal Guard, the 1st Regiment and, yes, the terrorists, then he would be able to get answers. At the very least, he would be able to question the soldiers at the base, and General Andon, about why they decided not to inform him of the attack. Also, the base was actually rather close to where the attack took place—another reason why Lelouch had no idea why no one told him about it—so he could assess the incident himself.

Of course, he couldn't tell his Royal Guard all of that, not when there was a chance that someone was listening in.

"Suzaku will be more than enough to protect me and I do know how to take care of myself," Lelouch added.

Jeremiah continued to observe him with a frown.

"These are your orders," Lelouch stressed. "Do not leave the palace until I say otherwise and try to keep the fact that I left the party a secret for as long as possible."

Though he could tell his Royal Guard weren't exactly happy with what he was doing, they all saluted and stated, "Yes, Your Highness."

"Be careful," Rayne added.

"Yeah, don't do nothing stupid," Tadashi said.

"Contact us if you need backup and we'll be right there," Lila said.

"Thank you. Come, Suzaku, let's go," Lelouch said and, turning around, headed for the stairs to grab himself and Suzaku a disguise before they would head onto the streets of the Tokyo Settlement.

 **. . .**

 _Extraction Point, Near the Outskirts of the Tokyo Settlement_

" _Okay, the gas capsule is secured. Get ready to get out of there quickly. It won't be long before backup is sent,_ " Michal said and Kallen, who was seated in the driver's seat of the truck in a uniform with a cap hiding her facial features from view, knew that he was watching everything from above. Thankfully, Nagata knew how to operate the crane and Reyes and Michal were decent marksmen able to take out the soldiers and allowing for a clear path for Nagata to get to the crane.

"Right," Kallen said and strapped in her seatbelt as Nagata, out of breath from running from the crane, climbed into driver's side and, securing his own seatbelt, moved the gearshift to first and took off. Kallen gripped the edge of her seat as the truck shot forward, weaving its way through the street, heading for the rendezvous.

" _You're on your own from here on out. We will meet you at the rendezvous,_ " Michal said.

" _Don't let them Britannian bastards catch ya,_ " Reyes called from the background.

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Kallen huffed. _But I have the Glasgow if we need it_ , she thought. As part of the plan, just in case they needed to protect the gas capsule from being recaptured by the Britannians, they'd agreed to bring along the Glasgow and Kallen would act as decoy to give Nagata time to get away with the capsule. Of course, Ohgi had been the first to protest but, eventually, conceded that Kallen was the best pilot out of all of them and was likely the one that could last long enough against the Britannians for Nagata to get to the rendezvous.

The truck shot down the street, heading for the main road that would take them to the Shinjuku Ghetto. Kallen kept an eye on the rearview mirror, relieved that they were in the clear for the moment, though she knew that it wouldn't last. While Michal and Reyes's distraction was certainly providing them with the time they needed to get as far from the lab as possible, Kallen was not going to relax until they were at the rendezvous.

Nagata turned the corner and continued to drive rapidly as Tamaki's voice sounded over the radio. " _Hey, do ya got the gas capsule?_ " he asked.

"Of course we have it. Didn't we agree not to talk about it in case our transmissions were being intercepted?" Nagata said tersely.

" _Oh, uh, right, whoops. Well, I doubt that they've intercepted this transmission. We're in the clear,_ " Tamaki said cheerfully.

 **. . .**

 _Ballroom, Viceroy's Palace_

Clovis la Britannia chatted with the noblewomen in front of him while sipping at a glass of wine, briefly wondering how his younger half brother was enjoying the party. He knew that Lelouch didn't particularly care about these kinds of parties but Clovis wanted him to lighten up just a bit and, maybe, relax since he knew that Lelouch had been especially busy recently due to the assassination attempt on Nunnally.

Of course, when Bartley had come to him earlier to inform him about the attack on the lab by a terrorist group, Clovis was especially glad that Lelouch was at the party. He'd, while his half-brother was not paying attention to him, ordered Bartley to handle the matter. He also knew that he'd have to speak to the public about the attack, since he had no doubt that the media had likely caught wind of it.

But he also had to ensure that Lelouch didn't have to worry about it because he couldn't afford to have Lelouch poke around that area, not when there was a chance of him finding out about Code-R. He couldn't let Code-R fall into his younger half-brother's hands, not when Lelouch was already the Emperor's favorite and had garnered such a fearsome reputation, causing Clovis to drift into the background. He needed Code-R if he was to stand a chance at gaining the prestige he needed to become a true contender to the throne, a prestige his younger half brother, to Clovis's dismay, had already managed to obtain because of what happened at Sapporo.

Clovis did care about Lelouch. There was no denying that. He did love Lelouch but he was ambitious and sick of being pushed to the sidelines, outshone by Cornelia, the Witch of Britannia, and Schneizel, the White Prince of Britannia, and now by his younger half-brother Lelouch, the Demon Prince of Britannia. He didn't even have a moniker himself; he was just the Viceroy of Area 11 and, while he did garner a lot of power after obtaining that post, he hadn't wanted the post truthfully. He'd only taken it because he wanted an excuse to be in Area 11 to search for Lelouch and Nunnally following the invasion, not believing that they were truly dead.

So he didn't really see being Viceroy of Area 11 as a true accomplishment, especially not when he didn't even have the glowing record that General Andon had.

Clovis wasn't a fighter, like Cornelia, and he wasn't a strategist, like Schneizel and Lelouch, which was another reason why he needed Code-R. He needed that girl's power because if that girl can grant him that kind of power then he would finally be able to gain what Schneizel, Cornelia, and Lelouch had already gained. And, as he said before, he would finally be able to be a true contender for the throne.

Once Bartley came to Clovis's side to inform him that the terrorists had been driven away from the area that they'd attacked, he, relieved, decided that now was the perfect time to speak to the public about the attack. According to Bartley, the media had, indeed, picked up on the story and it was spreading like a wildfire.

"Get a camera crew in here. I wish to speak to the people of the settlement," Clovis ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness," Bartley said with a salute and moved off, calling orders as he did so and Clovis had a few attendants appear to dress him so that it wouldn't look as if he was speaking to the people from a party. That would not do.

As he prepared to speak before the public, he briefly scanned the ballroom, noticing that Lelouch's Royal Guard was still there, though he couldn't seem to see his brother or his brother's Number knight—something that Clovis still didn't approve of—but figured that they were nearby. After all, Lelouch did have a death threat hanging over his head; Clovis knew his half-brother wasn't stupid enough to go out in public with someone after his head.

As the camera was set up in front of him, Clovis pushed his thoughts of his brother out of his mind for now and focused on speaking with the public about the terrorist attack.

 **. . .**

 _Streets, Tokyo Settlement_

Lelouch sneezed, causing Suzaku to glance at him as the two rode in the back of a cab heading for the Tokyo Military Base. Both of them were dressed in casual clothing while Lelouch was wearing a pair of sunglasses since his eyes have always been his most telling feature. They'd hailed a cab as soon as they'd changed into their disguises and left the Viceroy's Palace and they'd only just left the palace when Lelouch had sneezed.

"I think someone's either talking or thinking about you," Suzaku commented.

Lelouch leaned back in his seat. "And who would be talking about me?" he mused.

"Well, let's see..."

"That was a rhetorical question, Suzaku."

Suzaku chuckled before he grew serious and added quietly, "Are you still sure about this, Lelouch? I mean it's really dangerous for you to be out with just me to protect you."

"You are more than capable of protecting me, Suzaku, and as long as people don't recognize me, I can pass off as just any other Britannian. And once we're in the base, we'll be fine," Lelouch added.

Suzaku pressed his lips together but nodded slowly, accepting Lelouch's reasoning.

As they drove, they bypassed a large screen on which Clovis had suddenly appeared. The television screen that was within the cab as well also had Clovis on it but Lelouch only listened with half an ear, gazing out the window at the cars that sped past, as Clovis spoke about the terrorist attack.

"Out of curiosity, Lelouch, does everyone know that you're in charge of the terrorist threat? Or is that just the military?" Suzaku asked.

"Just the military, at the moment. I honestly don't think it really matters that much, especially with the lack of terrorist threats before today," Lelouch said.

Suzaku hummed. "I suppose so," he said and glanced at the television screen as Clovis's speech came to an end, ending with him requesting a moment of silence for those who died in the attack.

The cab switched lanes and Lelouch stretched out a hand, turning off the television screen, and looked to see how far they'd come. They were still a good couple of miles away but they were making pretty good time.

At least, until some moron rammed into them.

That caught both Lelouch and Suzaku by surprise, throwing them forward and causing the cab driver to swerve in an attempt to not be driven off the road. As the cab swerved rapidly to the side, the truck that had rammed into them swerved as well, heading in the opposite direction, straight onto a ramp that was under construction. The cab came to a stop on the side of the road as the truck crashed into the partially opened doors of a garage of the building down below.

Suzaku, rubbing his neck, peered out the window. "Was that our fault or theirs?" he wondered.

Lelouch shrugged as he unbuckled himself and climbed out of the car, assessing the damage while rubbing his neck and stretching, making sure he hadn't hurt anything. He also briefly checked on the driver who assured him that he was fine, just a bit dazed from the whiplash. "You okay, Suzaku?" he asked, walking around the car to join Suzaku who'd also gotten out and was stretching.

"Yeah, fine. How's the driver?"

"Fine, just whiplash."

All around him, people had gathered in curiosity, peering at the truck and murmuring to themselves. Some of them were even taking pictures of the crash sight but, to Lelouch's disgust, none of them were bothering on calling for help, or even checking to see if the driver was all right.

He headed for the ramp and Suzaku darted after him in confusion. "Where're you going?" he asked.

"I just want to make sure they're all right, Suzaku. Even if we don't know just who was at fault, we should still check on them. It's obvious no one else will," Lelouch said, not even bothering on hiding his disgust as he glared at the onlookers who were still watching, chatting, and taking pictures.

"Why is no one calling for help?" Suzaku asked in naive bewilderment.

"They don't care," Lelouch said flatly as he jogged across the ground toward where the truck was located. "Funny, and rather ironic, that the Demon Prince of Britannia is more willing to help than them."

He neared the truck. "Hello? Are you all right?" he called, not entirely sure if they could hear him since the cab of the truck was practically buried in the building. He didn't hear an answer and frowned to himself.

"Suzaku, call for help. They might be unconscious or they might not be able to hear me. I'm going to try to find a better way for them to hear me," Lelouch said and his amethyst eyes landed on the ladder attached to the side of the truck. _That'll work._

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Suzaku asked, dialing a number on his phone as he watched Lelouch grab the rungs of the ladder and climb up.

"I'll just be a minute," Lelouch replied once he was on top.

 _It's you. You're finally here…_

Lelouch blinked at the faint feminine voice that sounded and looked around but couldn't find the source of it. For some odd reason, he was sure that it wasn't coming from the driver; it was too quiet, like a whisper, and yet loud enough for him to hear it clearly. And yet it was clear that Suzaku didn't hear it because he was looking at Lelouch in puzzlement, the phone resting against his ear.

Shaking his head to clear it, Lelouch peered into the truck. "Hello?" he called again. "Are you all right?"

There was no answer.

"I'm not getting through to anyone," Suzaku called.

"Keep trying. You might have to contact Jeremiah and..." Lelouch broke off with a yelp, he would forever deny that he actually 'yelped', when the truck suddenly jerked back with such force that Lelouch was thrown headfirst into the truck. He crashed on top of what appeared to be a gas capsule and tumbled down the side of it.

 _Well, ow, that was unexpected._

 **. . .**

"Lelouch!" Suzaku gasped, diving out of the way to avoid getting hit by the truck that had backed up as suddenly as it had, the sudden backing up had caused Lelouch to lose his balance and topple into the truck. Forgetting about calling for help, Suzaku quickly dialed Lelouch's number as he darted after the truck that was driving rapidly away. He knew that it was unlikely he'd be able to catch up with it on foot but he might, at the very least, see where it was going and could track his prince down from there.

" _Ow...Suzaku?_ " Lelouch's voice sounded over the phone.

"Are you okay?" Suzaku asked.

" _Fine. Hit my head a little when I fell in but I'm fine,_ " Lelouch said, voice quiet, most likely to not be heard by the people who were driving that truck.

"I'm following you on foot, my prince," Suzaku said, keeping his voice quiet as he unfolded the headset part of his phone and fitted it around his ear, so that he could keep speaking with Lelouch while having both hands free if necessary. "From the looks of the direction the truck's heading in, I think you're heading for the Shinjuku Ghetto."

" _Wonderful._ " The sarcasm was strong in Lelouch's voice.

Suzaku was about to say something when the sound of gunshots came to him and he swiftly dodged out of the way, though he noticed that they weren't aimed at him, they were aimed at the truck. The truck started to weave rapidly as it struggled to evade the bullets; Suzaku then watched as a squad of knightmares, dropping from an aerial carrier, charged after the truck.

He swore. "My prince, I think we may have, unintentionally, got entangled with terrorists. I don't see why else they'd send a squad of knightmares after a single truck," he said, watching as the knightmares charged after the truck, still firing at it.

" _Oh this day just keeps getting better,_ " Lelouch said with scornful sarcasm.

"Should I contact Jeremiah and inform him of the situation?"

" _No. If you do then Jeremiah will order the Black Knights here and that'll be complete chaos since no one will know who the enemy is,_ " Lelouch said.

 _That makes sense…_ "All right, my prince." Suzaku was now following at a more sedated pace, simply following the sounds of the battle since he knew those knightmares were after the truck that his prince was in. He knew that if he followed the knightmares then he'd figure out where both were going soon enough. As for how to get his prince away from the fight between the knightmares and the terrorists...well, he'd worry about that when he got there.

 **. . .**

 _A few minutes earlier…_

 _Ballroom, Viceroy's Palace_

"That was simply wonderful. You spoke as if you weren't in the middle of a party," one of the noblewoman said as Clovis stepped away from the camera, brushing off some invisible dust and smiling charmingly at the woman in front of him. The cameramen packed up everything and left while everyone went back to the party.

"It's all part of the job, playing the part of Viceroy when necessary at any time of the day, even during a party," he said. He thought he did a good job with that speech, considering it wasn't one that others, like Diethard, normally wrote for him. Unlike Lelouch, whom Clovis knew was a very charismatic speaker, Clovis couldn't do that, which was another reason why he envied his younger half brother. But he thought he did a good job with that improvised speech and everything was looking up. Now all he needed was confirmation that the girl had been transported without problems…

Just then, Bartley darted across the room. "Your Highness," he said.

"What is it?" Clovis asked.

Bartley leaned forward. "The terrorists have the girl. They were last seen heading for the Shinjuku Ghetto," he whispered to where only Clovis could hear.

Clovis's eyes widened fractionally. "Excuse me, ladies," he said to the noblewomen around him and turned before striding out of the ballroom, trying hard to keep himself from running. _Damnit! Damnit! Damnit! I have to get that girl back. That girl's power can't fall into the hands of terrorists,_ he thought. Of course, he also knew that if people were to find out about that girl before he was ready then it would lead to him being disinherited. He needed to find out that girl's secrets; it was the only way to ensure that he got the prestige he sought, and didn't get disinherited.

He had to get that girl back. "Redeploy the 1st Regiment! Retrieve the project at all costs," he ordered firmly as he headed for the doors that would take him to the hangar. "I will, personally, take command of this operation."

"What of Prince Lelouch?"

"He doesn't have to know about this. I'll deal with them with the 1st Regiment," Clovis said firmly as he swept out of the palace and into the hangar.

"Yes, Your Highness," Bartley said as he walked after the Viceroy of Area 11.

 **. . .**

 _Present time..._

 _Road to the Shinjuku Ghetto_

Lelouch winced as he was thrown to the wall for what felt like the billionth time. All the swerving that the terrorists were doing to avoid the gunfire from the Britannians that were firing on them was really doing a number on Lelouch's body. He'd already been thrown against the wall of the truck and the gas capsule so many times that he was sure he was going to bruise. It also didn't help that he was starting to lose reception on his phone, and thus his connection with Suzaku.

"...catching up with us! Damn it! How the hell were they able to find out so quickly? Did they intercept our call earlier?" one of the terrorists exclaimed.

"I don't know but this is why I'm here," a very familiar voice said and Lelouch pressed himself against the wall of the truck, eyes widening as he spotted a _very_ familiar red-headed girl dart past him, shedding the disguise that she'd been wearing as well as a radio.

There was no denying it.

Lelouch narrowed his eyes. _Kallen Stadtfeld, so you're a terrorist? And yet you seem to get along great with Nunnally. Why then?_ He thought and resolved that he would have to find a way to question Kallen as soon as he could.

Supposing he got out of this mess alive.

He pushed that thought out of his head as he watched the door open to reveal a battered red _Glasgow_ knightmare frame. A moment later, he watched as Kallen launched the Glasgow out of the truck but then the truck rounded a corner, throwing him back against the gas capsule, and he lost sight of her.

 _One Glasgow against who knew how many Sutherlands? She must be a decoy, used to distract the Britannians and allow her companion to escape,_ Lelouch thought.

" _My prince...still there?_ " Suzaku's voice sounded over the phone, though it was slightly garbled, reminding Lelouch that he was, indeed, losing his connection to his knight.

"Careful, Suzaku, the terrorists have launched a knightmare to fight back. Try to avoid getting caught in the crossfire on accident," Lelouch said.

" _Didn't...all of...Almost at...Shinjuku..._ " Suzaku's garbled response came but Lelouch couldn't make much sense out of it. " _Losing...stay safe..._ " The connection cut after Suzaku asked Lelouch to remain safe and he, knowing there was no pointing in attempting to call his knight back, closed his phone, slipping it into his pocket.

He scanned the area and his eyes landed on the radio that Kallen had dropped. _That might come in handy,_ he thought and winced as he was thrown against the gas capsule once again when the truck swerved again.

 **. . .**

 _Edge of the Shinjuku Ghetto_

Suzaku peered around the decrepit building he was hiding behind as he attempted to find a way past the battling knightmares and into the tunnel that he was sure was where the truck had gone. At the very least, that red Glasgow had come from that direction so it was his best bet at finding his prince, especially now that they'd lost the connection.

 _This reminds me a little of the invasion,_ Suzaku thought but firmly shoved the thought out of his mind, not wanting to relive the invasion, especially not with the bad memories associated with it. He peered around the corner again and, noticing that the fighting seemed to be drifting to the east, used that as a distraction and darted toward the subway tunnel. He ducked into it and headed down it; his prince was down there and he had to catch up with him.

Suzaku really was taking his duties as a knight seriously. He had no choice. He knew that many looked at him with contempt in their eyes, some of them even still whispered about how they thought that he'd conned Lelouch into choosing him as his knight. There were even some who were much more insulting but they always made sure that the prince couldn't hear them. After all, everyone knew that insulting a Knight of Honor was seen as insulting their prince and that was considered high treason.

Nonetheless, Suzaku hoped to prove that he was worthy of the honor that Lelouch had given him and, while there were many who didn't see him as more than just an Honorary Britannian, there were some that did, such as most of Lelouch's Royal Guard and Lelouch himself. Lelouch was the reason why Suzaku had such a prestigious rank after all and he was not about to do anything to cause his prince to regret his decision.

He also couldn't bear it if something happened to his best friend. He'd killed his father only because he knew that the do-or-die resistance that his father was going to call would not only jeopardize hundreds of thousands of innocent lives but it would also put Lelouch and Nunnally in danger. After all, the do-or-die resistance was his father's way of saying that they would fight until they drove _all_ Britannian enemies off their land or die trying and many of the Japanese saw Lelouch and Nunnally as the enemy, even though they were living proof that not all Britannians were bad. So Suzaku had killed his father to protect his best friends.

As he was going to do now.

 _Stay safe, Lelouch. I'm on my way,_ he thought in determination as he leapt onto the tracks of the subway tunnel and darted down it, hoping that he was going the right way.

 **. . .**

 _Bridge, G1 Base, Edge of the Shinjuku Ghetto_

"Situation report?" Clovis said firmly as he strode onto the bridge of the G1 and took a seat on his throne as Bartley and the rest of the soldiers and technicians on the bridge went to work getting an overview of the situation.

"The truck containing the project has entered the Shinjuku Ghetto and, as you ordered, we have sent the 1st Regiment after it to retrieve it. They are encountering some resistance in the form of a red Glasgow and the terrorists are also putting up a fight against our men."

Clovis hummed in thought. "Send out a couple of squads of the Numbers to track down the capsule. They will be under the direct command of my Royal Guard." He could just dispose of them later if they happen to come into contact with the girl. No one would miss a bunch of Elevens anyway.

"Yes, Your Highness," Bartley said with a salute.

Clovis turned to his Royal Guard who stood at attention. "Go and retrieve the gas capsule as soon as those Elevens find it. Ensure that they do not open the contents of that capsule," he ordered firmly.

"Yes, Your Highness," the Royal Guard stated with a salute before they darted off to follow their orders.

"And of the terrorists and that Glasgow who's proving to be a rather tricky opponent?" Bartley asked.

"Have the 1st Regiment take care of it until the capsule is retrieved," Clovis said. After that, there would be no point in continuing the fighting since he would have what he needed. If anything then he could tell Lelouch and have the Demon Prince take care of those terrorists before they try something like that again.

"Yes, Your Highness."

 **. . .**

 _Steps Outside the Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy_

Adeline sat down on the steps beside Nunnally's wheelchair, noticing the rest of the Student Council, except for Kallen, were seated either on the steps or on lawn chairs that Milly had fetched from the clubhouse or on blankets that Shirley had brought from the storage closets. It was a nice day; the sun shone brightly in the cloudless blue sky above and the breeze was soft, not enough to disturb them but enough to ward off the warmth from the sun's rays.

"I'm sorry about this," Nunnally said softly, her bluish-purple eyes filled with regret. "You don't have to be out here just 'cause I don't feel comfortable in the meeting room."

"Don't worry about it, Nunnally," Milly said with a bright reassuring smile. "We could all use the fresh air and it's a nice day today."

"Yeah, I certainly don't mind being outside," Rivalz said with a shrug.

"And Nina could use a break from her computer for an hour or so," Milly added with a teasing smirk at Nina who flushed and ducked her head.

"Y...Yeah," the dark-green haired girl said softly.

A soft smile crossed Nunnally's lips, though Adeline could still see the regret and sadness deep in her eyes. She smiled softly and placed a hand on her shoulder; she understood what Nunnally was going through because she had, and was still, going through the same thing. For years, she couldn't even be anywhere near weapons of any sort, except knightmares. Even now, she couldn't figure out why she felt more comfortable around knightmares than any other kind of weapon, though Unity speculated it was because knightmares didn't exist when their village had been destroyed.

Either way, she knew that it would take time for Nunnally to overcome what's happened but she also knew that Nunnally could overcome it.

"Thank you," Nunnally said, glancing at everyone. "I'm glad I have such great friends."

"Oh there's no need to thank us, Nunna. That's what friends are for," Shirley said with a bright smile. She tilted her head to the side and added, "By the way, has anyone heard from Lulu?"

"Not since this morning when I spoke with him about attending Clovis's party," Nunnally said.

"Aww, you're missing your boyfriend, aren't ya?" Milly said with a grin at Shirley.

"He's not my...I mean...I...uh..." Shirley stammered out, her cheeks going red.

Adeline chuckled, raising an eyebrow at Milly. "Are Shirley and Prince Lelouch an item?" she asked.

"It's not official but I'm positive that they are," Milly said.

Shirley's cheeks went redder. "N...No, we're not," she stammered out.

"Well, why not?" Adeline asked.

"He's a prince," Shirley said softly, looking down. "He'd never choose me to be his girlfriend."

"You don't know that," Nunnally said. "Big Brother might surprise you, someday."

"Oh, I do wonder just _how_ Lelouch will find a way to _surprise_ Shirley. Hmm, I always would've thought that, considering how dense he is, it would be Shirley who'd take the next step though," Milly commented.

Adeline had to bit her lip to keep from laughing at how red Shirley, and Rai, Rivalz, and Nina, had gotten at the implication while Nunnally tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"What do you mean, Milly?" she asked innocently.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Shirley exclaimed, waving her hands frantically, her face still the color of a tomato.

Milly pouted, her blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Ah, can we get back to work? Um, I mean, don't we have to finish this before tomorrow?" Rai asked, the blush on his cheeks fading as he glanced at everyone, raising a silver eyebrow.

"Yeah, we should probably get to that," Adeline said, noticing Nunnally stiffen slightly at the sound of Rai's voice before slowly relaxing. She knew that Nunnally was still wary and uncomfortable around Rai but she seemed okay with him around if the rest of the Student Council was around as well. She knew that the only reason Nunnally was all right with her was because she'd saved her life; Adeline had been the same way when Unity had saved her life to the point that she was wary of anyone besides her big brother for the longest time.

 _You and I have far too much in common, Nunnally,_ she thought sadly.

As she got to work, she found her thoughts drifting and they went to her big brother. She knew that her big brother had organized, with Michal and Reyes, a mission with the resistance that had formed within the Shinjuku Ghetto. While she didn't know much about that resistance, or about the mission itself, Unity had said that it was of utmost importance. According to her big brother, it was what Michal had asked the Shinjuku Resistance for in return for the supplies and weapons that the United Liberators, which was the name that Adeline had given the half of the Liberators that followed Unity, would be supplying them.

She also couldn't participate but, considering her new position as Princess Nunnally's bodyguard, she understood why she couldn't. And, this time, it wasn't because she was a "kid", it was because she had her own orders to fulfill. She had to get close to Prince Lelouch but, until she could earn the prince's trust, getting close to Princess Nunnally would be the next best thing at the moment.

 **. . .**

 _Abandoned Subway Tunnel, Shinjuku Ghetto_

 _Crash!_

Lelouch was thrown, once again, into the gas capsule and fell to the ground as the truck came to abrupt halt. He had no idea where he was, though, when he glanced at his phone and saw that he didn't have any service, he figured that he was underground. And since Suzaku did say that the truck was heading in the direction of the Shinjuku Ghetto then there was a very strong chance that he was in the Shinjuku Ghetto.

Now how to get out?

Lelouch huffed as he stood up, glancing at the gas capsule curiously. The terrorists had stolen this gas capsule, the 1st Regiment were chasing after it, Clovis didn't inform Lelouch about what was happening, and Clovis didn't seem to want Lelouch to know about this Code-R project of his, a project that he didn't want to end up in the Liberators' hands.

 _Is this that Code-R project that you don't want to end up in the Liberators hands and refuse to tell me about?_ Lelouch thought. He didn't know whether it was or not, especially since it did look simply like a gas capsule. If it was poison gas, and Lelouch would not be surprised if it was—Britannia was cruel enough to make such a dangerous weapon—then why wouldn't Clovis tell him about it?

It didn't make sense. What was so important about poison gas that Clovis wouldn't tell Lelouch about it but, at the same time, thought it would bring about the doom of the Empire?

Was it possible that it wasn't poison gas but, rather, something else entirely?

That didn't explain, entirely, why it was in a gas capsule though.

Lelouch decided that he would worry about that later. For now, he should get out of there before the terrorists showed up since there was a strong chance that Kallen and whoever was with her had backup. And he doubted that they would simply let him walk away from this unscathed, not when he held such a dangerous reputation.

He moved as quietly as he could toward the side door, aware that the driver in the cab might be conscious, and slowly opened it. Darkness punctured only by thin beams of light from flickering lights dotting the subway's walls stretched out in front of him. His eyes narrowed as they slowly adjusted to the darkness and Lelouch glanced back at the gas capsule, pressing his lips together.

He knew that he couldn't exactly just leave it there, not when the terrorists might have backup. While he really didn't want such a dangerous weapon in Britannia's hands, it was much better than in the hands of terrorists, sort of.

Actually, it wasn't safe in _either_ of their hands.

 _But what can I do? The only option I can think of is to get into contact with either my Royal Guard or the Black Knights. However, I would have to go above the ground to contact them since I have no service here—_ a distant _boom_ followed by the sound of gunfire sounded above— _and that isn't exactly a good option at the moment,_ Lelouch thought, his mind turning cogs as he attempted to come up with a solution to his current dilemma.

The sound of movement came to him and Lelouch, gun in his hand in an instant, pointed it in the direction of the sound, only to relax when his knight stepped into the light. "You got here a lot quicker than I thought you would," he commented, returning the gun to its holster.

"Are you all right, my prince?" Suzaku asked as he walked over to join him, tucking his own gun in its holster as if he'd been expecting to come across a terrorist.

"Just a couple of bruises but I'm fine," Lelouch said and turned to contemplate the gas capsule again, lips quirked into a frown.

Suzaku studied the gas capsule as well, frowning. "Is that a gas capsule? The terrorists stole poison gas?" he asked.

"I don't think that's it. Clovis would've told me if it was just poison gas. No, something more is going on but I can't figure out what," Lelouch said, frustration clear in his voice. He was missing something important and he really didn't like it.

Just then, though neither of them knew how, the gas capsule suddenly began to open. Valves were released, tubes snapped away from the capsule, and Lelouch found himself tackled to the ground as the capsule opened up like a flower. He winced as Suzaku shielded his body with his own, not that it really would've mattered had it really been poison gas in that capsule.

But, just as Lelouch thought, it wasn't.

But what it was shocked him.

It was a girl.

A green-haired young woman strapped in a white straightjacket with a white gag over her mouth and foggy golden eyes.

 **. . .**

(1) A reference to a fantasy book series that I love (listed under my Favorite Books section on my profile). Anyone who gets the reference will receive a virtual cookie of their choice!

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: and so we have finally reached canon events! (Throws confetti into the air)**

 **Bakura: (shakes confetti out of his hair) I am not cleaning this up**

 **Blaze: I'm not surprised. I'll just get Komui's cleaning robot to do it**

 **Allen: the working one or the malfunctioning one?**

 **Blaze: I do not want everyone in the computer room to have makeup put on their faces so the working one**

 **Kallen: makeup?**

 **Allen: (sweatdrops) long story**

 **Suzaku: you haven't been here in a while, Allen. What brings you here now?**

 **Lelouch: Allen, you ready to go?**

 **Allen: (grins and pulls out a deck of cards) yup**

 **Suzaku: (frowns) what are you going to do?**

 **Lelouch: Allen and I agreed that we would split whatever we make at that new casino down the street (walks out of the room)**

 **Allen: (grins evilly) and since I don't lose at cards, many of my Master's debts are going to be paid off today (walks out of the room)**

 **Kallen: …why do I have this feeling that new casino down the road is going to be** **broke by the time Allen and Lelouch are done?**

 **Suzaku: well, they do still have the slot machines**

 **Kallen: actually, no they don't. One of those robots that Blaze said was called a Komurin destroyed all the slot machines**

 **Suzaku: wow. Ahem, anyway, we should finish this chapter...Where did Blaze go?**

 **Kallen: I honestly have no clue. Bakura?**

 **Bakura: hell if I know. She just up and disappeared, probably went to get something sweet to eat or something. Anyway, finish the chapter, you foolish mortal.**

 **Suzaku: fine. Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated. The next chapter will, hopefully, be up within the week but Blaze makes no promises. Thank you all for reading!**


	33. An Eye for an Eye

**Well, it's been a while but, hey, I got an update up before Halloween! That's gotta count for something**

 **Bakura: not when your next update won't come out until New Year's Eve.**

 **Shut up, Bakura. Anyway, thank you to _Xanthosxd, Artorius Divinus, Guest, The King in White, Blacksword Zero, Wisegirl12xx, DarkAeroSage, demedichi, MichaelJCaboose007, Shadow-Shinobi666, Guest, DYnoJackal19, B-Kira, Doommajor (x2), Scarease, Guest, OBSERVER01, anand891996,_ and _Shimmering-Sky_ for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome!**

 **And here is chapter 33. I hope that you like it and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _December 10, 2004_

 _Aries Villa, Pendragon_

 _Five-year-old Lelouch vi Britannia scampered across the floor toward where his mother was seated on her favorite armchair, flipping through a book. "Mama!" He called as he scampered over to join her._

 _Marianne smiled down at him as she closed her book and put it on the side table. "What is it, Lelouch?" she asked, reaching down and picking him up, resting him on her lap._

 _"I wanna ask you somethin'?" the small amethyst-eyed prince said._

 _"What do you want to ask me?"_

 _"Well, it's something I heard Brother Schneizel mention to Brother Clovis," the five-year-old said, brow furrowed in puzzlement. "I think I know what he meant but I'm not sure."_

 _"Well, what did Schneizel say?" Marianne asked with a gentle smile._

 _"He mentioned somethin' about an eye for an eye, like you do something and someone does the same thing back to you. Does that mean that if someone hurt someone else's friend or something then that person can hurt someone they care about in payback?" Lelouch asked curiously._

 _"Pretty much, yes," Marianne said with a slight nod._

 _"I think that's dumb," Lelouch said, wrinkling his nose._

 _"Why do you say that?"_

 _"'Cause then it'd just cause it to happen again. I mean, the person who had someone he cared about get hurt by the someone getting payback for their friend will also want to get payback for his own friend getting hurt, right? And it'd just keep going like that." Lelouch tilted his head to the side, looking vaguely confused by his own wording but Marianne seemed to get the gist of what he was saying._

 _"That's true," she said._

 _"Then it's stupid," Lelouch said. "'Cause everyone would just keep getting hurt and the hurting of others would never end. It'd be like...like...a never-ending chess match!" He seemed happy with his metaphor and Marianne chuckled, ruffling her son's hair._

 _"While I agree, it still happens," she said._

 _"Why?" Lelouch asked curiously._

 _"Well, because that's just the way people are."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Unfortunately, I don't know. I don't think anyone does. Granted, harming someone else's friend as payback for that someone else harming your friend is rather counterproductive," Marianne said._

 _"What's count...count…?" the five-year-old frowned, struggling over the new word._

 _"It means it wouldn't help the situation, just make it worse."_

 _Lelouch tilted his head to the side again. "Wouldn't it be better to go after the one who harmed the friend, rather than a friend of the one who harmed the friend?" he asked._

 _"I think that might have been what the person who created that phrase 'an eye for an eye' really mean but no one sees it that way or, at least, I haven't found anyone that sees it that way," Marianne said._

 _"Why not?"_

 _"I don't know. People are weird, I suppose."_

 _Lelouch giggled in agreement._

 **. . .**

 **33**

 **An Eye for an Eye**

 _March 21, 2017_

 _Abandoned Subway Tunnel, Shinjuku Ghetto_

"That's not gas," Suzaku said lamely, staring in confusion at the green-haired woman that was laying in the center of the capsule that had just released her. Her green hair was long enough to cover her upper body and it was clear by the look in her eyes that she was drugged. Suzaku recalled seeing the same look in Lelouch's eyes when those people who'd tried to kidnap him back at Osaka had drugged him.

"Help me get her out of those," Lelouch said, pushing the still stunned Suzaku off him and moving over to help the green-haired woman.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Suzaku nodded and moved over to help his friend. They worked to undo the buckles of the straightjacket and Lelouch removed the gag from the greenette's mouth. She still didn't make a sound nor did she move, though she did blink every once and a while.

"What in the world was this woman doing in a gas capsule?" Suzaku asked as he and Lelouch helped the girl to her feet and they hurried away from the truck.

"I don't know. Clovis is behind this, I'm positive of it, and I'm thinking that this girl might be related to that Code-R project we overheard Clovis mention, though I'm still not sure why Clovis would be keeping this girl a secret," Lelouch said, studying the girl who just blinked at him, clearly too out of it to talk. "And it doesn't seem as if I will be getting any answers out of her right now."

"What now?" Suzaku asked with a frown as they moved a little further away from the truck.

The sound of movement came to them and Lelouch and Suzaku turned just in time to see Clovis's Royal Guard striding toward them, the captain stopping when he caught sight of who was there, surprise on his face.

"Your Highness?" he said surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Lelouch narrowed his eyes, shifting his grip on the green-haired woman. "I should be asking you the same thing," he said coolly, straightening up and giving the captain a cool glare that befitted his moniker.

The captain frowned but didn't answer as he pulled his radio to his lips. "Your Highness, we've found the capsule," he said into it, eyes never straying from Lelouch. "But we've got a bit of a problem."

" _What sort of problem?_ " Prince Clovis's voice asked over the radio.

"Prince Lelouch and his Knight got to the project first," the captain said.

There was a long moment of pure silence. " _What?! How?! He should still be at the party,_ " Clovis exclaimed and Suzaku was positive he wasn't the only one who heard the edge of panic in the prince's voice.

"Orders, Your Highness?" the captain asked.

"... _No one must know about that girl,_ " Clovis said finally. " _And I mean_ no one. _Retrieve the girl at all costs and ensure that there are_ no witnesses _left behind._ "

Suzaku's eyes went wide with shock. _No witnesses? But we've both seen the girl…_ He bit his lip but forced himself to move so that he was standing in front of Lelouch and the green-haired girl, noting that Lelouch was doing the same to the girl.

"You would really kill your own brother to keep this girl a secret, Clovis?" Lelouch murmured.

"Your Highness, are you sure…?" the captain began.

" _Yes, I'm sure! There can't be any witnesses. It's regrettable but Lelouch should not have poked his nose into this matter. If he hadn't, I wouldn't have to do this. You know your orders, Captain. Make sure there are no witnesses and retrieve that girl,_ " Clovis ordered firmly and then ended the connection.

The Royal Guard's captain lowered the radio. "I apologize, Your Highness, but we have our orders," he said, removing his gun form its holster.

Suzaku stiffened, aware of the guns that were trained on him and his prince and he gripped his hands into fists. "I won't let you harm him," he hissed but, before he could attack in the hope of giving his prince and the girl a chance to get out of there, a resounding _boom_ sounded behind them. A column of fire shot upward and a spray of debris shot in all directions, forcing the Royal Guard to shield their eyes and back up to avoid getting hit by the debris.

Suzaku wasted no time and, grabbing Lelouch's arm, bolted in the direction opposite the one he'd come in. Lelouch was quick to grab the arm of the green-haired girl before running after him, both of them ignoring the ash and small pieces of debris that struck them as they ran.

 **. . .**

 _Abandoned Building, Shinjuku Ghetto_

B.B. glanced up when he felt a stirring within the World of C and hummed, a small smile crossing his lips and his amber eyes alit. "So you're back, huh?" he murmured. "Never thought I'd run into you after all these years. I do wonder if you still don't really like me."

Humming, he got to his feet and wandered over to the broken window of the abandoned building, gazing at the battle that was taking place in front of him. The abandoned building was near the edge of the ghetto after all, so not only did B.B. have a perfect view of the battle but it was also less likely that the battle would reach him.

As he watched the battle, he wondered if the green-haired witch was going to enter into another contract. He may not know much about her last contractor but he suspected that things hadn't ended well with that last one, much like his contract with Tara hadn't ended well.

On that note, he needed to find another contractor himself. But, this time, he was planning on being more selective. He was not going to make yet another rash decision; choosing Tara as his contractor and restoring Nunnally's eyesight were enough for one lifetime.

He was also intrigued by the Demon Prince that the Kozuki Resistance were tasked by Unity to capture. Perhaps he could be a potential contractor. Granted, B.B. doubted that the prince would trust him at all, not after with what happened with Nunnally and B.B.'s refusal to answer any of the prince's questions.

Pushing the thought out of his mind, he refocused on the battle.

 **. . .**

 _Bridge, G1 Mobile Base_

Clovis closed his eyes as he sank back into his throne, his mind on the orders he'd just given to his Royal Guard. It really was regrettable, and hurt a lot more than Clovis thought it would, to order the death of his younger half-brother but Clovis didn't have a choice. He couldn't let Lelouch find out about that girl's power, nor could he let it leak out to the public or, worse, his family. He would be disinherited if that happened!

He needed that girl's power and he couldn't afford his last chance at obtaining prestige slipping from his fingers.

It hurt even more knowing just how devastated Nunnally was going to be. Clovis was already planning on blaming it on the terrorists but that didn't mean that he was looking forward to seeing Nunnally cry. He always hated making her cry but he had no choice.

He really wished that Lelouch hadn't got caught up in this mess and had just stayed at the party while he handled everything.

"Your Highness!" Bartley said and Clovis opened his eyes.

"Has the girl been retrieved?" he asked.

"Ah, no, Your Highness," Bartley said nervously. "The driver of the truck was apparently alive enough to blow the truck up. The blast was mostly directed upward but it was a big enough distraction to allow Prince Lelouch, his knight, and the girl to escape."

Clovis's jaw clenched. "Damn it," he hissed. "I need that girl." He needed to get that girl back and he couldn't afford anyone seeing her, especially not when a battle was going on. If they saw her ability to regenerate firsthand then they could capture her and use her against Clovis and the Empire. And if the Liberators got their hands on her then, just as Clovis had told Bartley a few days earlier, that could spell out doom for the entire Empire. That was something that Clovis couldn't let happen; that girl's power was going to be his and, with it, he could be a contender to the throne and use it to better the Empire once he surpassed Schneizel, Cornelia, and Lelouch.

"I can't have that girl fall into the Liberators hands. Nor can I have anyone see her," Clovis murmured to himself before he stood up, coming to a decision in his mind, unaware that the instant he spoke his next words, he'd condemned himself. "I, Clovis la Britannia, Third Prince and Viceroy of Area 11, do hereby command you to destroy the Shinjuku Ghetto. Leave no one alive!"

 **. . .**

 _Akiyama House, Shinjuku Ghetto_

"Is the battle still going on?" Fuyuki Akiyama asked, coming to his father's side as they huddled near the back of their house, hoping that the gunfire and clashing knightmare frames and missiles and grenades wouldn't hit their home.

Hachiro nodded, wrapping his arms around Fuyuki and drawing him close to him. "I don't know what's going on but it seems that those terrorists that made an appearance on the other side of the ghetto are striking again," he said. "At least, that was what I heard while in the marketplace before I hurried back here. We should find someplace to hide out."

"Do you think Tadashi is all right?" Fuyuki asked as the two made their way toward the master bedroom, since that was the room that was room that might provide the most protection from the battle outside.

"I'm sure he is, Fuyuki."

"We haven't seen him in a while." The last message that Fuyuki got from his older brother was that he'd been asked to join Prince Lelouch vi Britannia's Royal Guard, something that Fuyuki was extremely proud of. Even if he still wasn't happy that his brother was part of the military, he did want his mother to be avenged and his brother's way was probably the best way of accomplishing that. Fuyuki, himself, wasn't much of a fighter, never has been, so he knew that he couldn't do it himself.

"He's probably very busy, especially since he is a member of a prince's Royal Guard," Hachiro said and Fuyuki could hear the pride in his father's voice.

"Probably," he agreed, a faint smile on his face. "It's still kinda hard to believe that he got such a position. I mean, considering he's an Honorary Britannian."

"Well, Prince Lelouch did choose an Honorary Britannians as his Knight of Honor as well," Hachiro reminded him.

Remembering watching that on the news, Fuyuki nodded in agreement. "Yeah..." he said but, before he could say anything, they both heard the door slamming open and the sound of boots walking on the living room floor.

Hachiro narrowed his eyes. "Get under the bed," he hissed, letting go of Fuyuki. "Don't make a sound."

"W...What about you?" Fuyuki whispered, knowing that it was likely terrorists, though why they would be entering his house, he didn't know.

"I'm going to see what's going on. If they're just terrorists seeking shelter then they might just ignore us," Hachiro murmured. "But if not...just go hide."

The fifteen-year-old hesitated but nodded slowly and climbed under the master bed while Hachiro stood up and made his way out of the master bedroom. He tried to remain as quiet as possible but, when he heard the sound of gunfire in the other room, he had to bite his lip so hard that he tasted blood to keep from saying anything.

 _Dad? What just happened?_ He thought as everything fell silent, then the sound of footsteps came to him. He gazed out beneath the bottom of the bed as feet entered the room.

"Spread out. There might be another here," one voice said and Fuyuki's eyes widened because the man sounded like a Britannian.

"According to those pictures, it'd only be a kid," another voice said uncertainly.

"We have our orders. No one is to be left alive. Besides, they're just Elevens," the first voice said dismissively and Fuyuki clenched his hand in a fist. Of course, he knew that not all Britannian soldiers were like those who'd saved him and Tadashi at Sapporo the year before but to hear them talk so callously…

And his father! His father didn't do anything but the Britannians killed him? Why? Why would they do that?

Fuyuki felt tears well up in his eyes and he gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to say a word. He just needed to stay quiet long enough for them to go away, then he could use the backdoor and get out of there, since he knew that he couldn't stay. They'd kill him if he did.

"There's no one here. Let's go to the next house," the second soldier said.

"Fine. I don't want to waste too much time in this stinkhole anyway," the first said and Fuyuki watched as their feet headed for the door and they walked out of the room, not even bothering on closing the door behind them. Fuyuki waited longer and only moved when he heard the front door opening.

He rolled out from under the bed and darted for the open door to the master bedroom. Leaving the room, he started to head for the backdoor but stopped when he caught sight of his father. He bit his lip to keep from crying; his father was lying on the cracked tile floor of the kitchen, eyes staring sightlessly and blood pooling in a puddle around him from the bullet wound through his chest.

It was just like what happened to his mother, except, this time, it was Britannia who'd done it.

 _Why? Why would you do this? We did nothing wrong,_ Fuyuki cried silently.

More gunfire echoed outside followed by explosions and screams of agony. Fuyuki swallowed and bolted for the backdoor, the tears he'd tried to hold at bay now falling from his eyes.

 **. . .**

 _Streets, Shinjuku Ghetto_

"They're killing everyone!" Kallen cried, staring in horror at the bloody scene as she jumped back in her Glasgow to avoid the Slash Harken that a Britannian had fired at her. All around her, the Japanese in the ghettos were getting gunned down; many of them were just running for their lives, trying to escape the battle, and shot in the back but some were actually being dragged out of their homes or Britannian soldiers were entering their their homes and coming out covered in bloodstains. It was a complete massacre and Kallen had no idea just what had caused it.

" _What?_ " Reyes's voice shouted over the radio.

" _They're killing everyone,_ " Ohgi said grimly. " _They aren't focusing on just us anymore, they're focusing on the civilians._ "

" _Those goddamn bastards!_ " Tamaki cried.

Kallen, watching as a Sutherland turned its assault rifle to fire on a small group of fleeing Japanese that hadn't already been gunned down, curled her upper lip in a snarl. _Oh no, I am not letting you harm them,_ she thought furiously and shot forward, firing her Slash Harkens at the Sutherland's arm, one crashed into the joint that connected the arm to its shoulder while the other missed so she retracted that one. She then dove forward, firing her assault rifle at the damage, causing parts of it to explode. She then fired both of her Slash Harkens again, one at the Sutherland's chest and the other at its factsphere. The damage was severe enough that the pilot had no choice but to eject.

" _Reyes, Michal, can you provide any support?_ " Ohgi called.

" _We're too far away and they've blocked off all non-Military access to the Shinjuku Ghetto. We're going to try to go around it but you're on your own right now,_ " Michal said grimly.

Kallen's screen lit up and she swore. "We're gonna have to figure out something to do quick. I'm running low on power, only about thirty five or so minutes left," she said as she spun her Glasgow around and began looking for another enemy. "And those civilians...There's gotta be something we can do for them."

"... _We can...try to get the Britannians to focus entirely on us but I don't see how we'll be able to do that with the limited resources we have on us. We weren't expecting a full battle,_ " Ohgi said.

" _And we can't help you there, unfortunately. Getting the knightmares that are probably the only thing that'll help us against the Britannians will take days since we have to go through the main base,_ " Reyes said.

" _I figured that,_ " Ohgi said. " _I guess we'll just have to deal with what we have._ "

 _I really hope it'll be enough,_ Kallen thought grimly.

 **. . .**

 _Abandoned Subway Station, Shinjuku Ghetto_

Lelouch and Suzaku, the former practically dragging the green-haired woman behind him, came to a halt to catch their breath, in Lelouch's case. Even if he'd managed to build up some stamina during basic training and during the battles he'd been in since then, he was still nowhere near on Suzaku's level. Suzaku wasn't even winded.

They were near the stairs that would take them to the abandoned subway station and Lelouch could hear the sound of gunfire and explosions sounding above.

Releasing the green-haired woman's arm, Lelouch turned to her. "Just what are you? Why would Clovis go as far as to kill me just to keep you a secret?" he asked.

The girl just blinked at him, obviously still too drugged to respond.

Lelouch was about to ask something else when he heard a noise above him. He frowned to himself as he glanced up the stairs. _Have they found us?_ He thought and decided that there was no sense in alerting them, if it was Clovis's Royal Guard, to their location. Briefly, he recalled that he did have one thing that could give away where they were if it went off so he pulled out his phone and quickly shut it off. Suzaku, noticing that, quickly did the same thing and glanced at him, tilting his head to the side slightly toward the staircase.

In the secret language that they had developed during the invasion so as to avoid getting hurt or killed, that meant 'what do we do now?'

Lelouch gestured to the staircase with a short almost dismissive wave of his hand, nodding once. ' _Check the situation. Stay quiet._ ' He then turned to the girl. "Be quiet," he whispered and followed Suzaku without waiting to see if the girl would listen to him.

The two, as quietly as possible, made their way up the stairs, crouching down when they heard a series of gunfire followed by screams of agony. The girl followed them, though she was trying to be quiet. When the gunfire fell silent, Lelouch gestured to Suzaku and the two crouched near the top of the stairs.

"...sure that the tunnel came out here?" the Royal Guard Captain's voice said.

"Yes, sir," another member of the Royal Guard said. "But it looks like it's just Elevens here but we've taken care of all of 'em. Guess we may as well help the 1st Regiment finish off the rest."

The sound of a child's crying came but was abruptly silenced when a member of the Royal Guard fired his gun in the direction of the crying.

Suzaku's eyes went wide while Lelouch's lips pressed in a very tight line, eyes narrowed. _Clovis, would you really go so far as to kill innocents just to keep this girl a secret?_ He thought.

The girl had joined them by this point, when, suddenly, she slipped and let out a little gasp as she nearly tumbled back down the stairs. Suzaku grabbed her before she could fall but her gasp had alerted the Royal Guard to their location, causing Lelouch to start swearing in his mind.

"There, I heard something," one member of the Royal guard said and it wasn't long before the Royal Guard joined them. Suzaku was quick, though, and managed to knock out one Royal Guard member with a spinkick to the face while Lelouch and the green-haired woman were both grabbed by two other members of the Royal Guard. Another soldier fired his gun at Suzaku but the knight managed to dodge, though he wasn't able to dodge the next one that slammed into his chest, throwing him off his feet.

"Suzaku!" Lelouch cried.

Suzaku, gritting his teeth and clutching at his chest—thankfully, he was wearing a kevlar vest so he was probably just bruised—struggled to sit up but was tackled to the ground by a soldier, his face slammed hard into the concrete ground. Lelouch, himself, was thrown toward the wall but, while he did stumble, he managed to stay on his feet as he turned to face his elder half-brother's Royal Guard.

"We are sorry about this, Your Highness," the Captain said, his gun in his hand as the other soldiers gathered around the green-haired girl. "But we have our orders. Goodbye, Your Highness."

 _Is this really it?_ Lelouch thought, trying to keep his face blank, though he could feel small kernels of fear rear their ugly little heads within him.

The Captain pulled the trigger.

"He mustn't die!"

Lelouch, eyes wide with shock, watched as the green-haired woman broke through the soldiers surrounding her and threw herself in front of him. The bullet sank into her forehead, throwing her back and she collapsed on the ground, blood pool around her head.

Lelouch was now even more in shock. This strange girl that he didn't even know had given her life for him. _Why?_ He thought, shakily finding himself on his knees, staring at the girl in utter shock. It didn't help that it made him think about how Suzaku had thrown himself in front of a bullet to save his life as well at Osaka, except that this girl had been hit by a forehead shot. Unlike Suzaku, he doubted that she'd survive that.

"Damn it. We were supposed to bring her back alive," the captain said nervously. He swallowed and then said, "All right, we'll just say this. We tried to retrieve the girl but both she, Prince Lelouch, and his knight had been caught by the terrorists and tortured to death." He pointed his gun at Lelouch again.

 _Damn it! This can't be it! I haven't even begun my plan. And what about Suzaku? The Student Council? Shirley? And Nunnally? Oh dear God, Nunnally! I can't leave her, not after everything she's gone through,_ Lelouch thought, his mind in chaos.

Suddenly, he felt someone grab his wrist, snapping him out of his thoughts and he turned to stare in utter shock at the green-haired girl. _But that's impossible…_

Just then, the area around him shimmered into pitch-black darkness and ribbons of bright blue light wound their way around him, dragging him deeper into the darkness.

 _You don't want it to end here, do you?_

The darkness faded to be replaced by pure whiteness as Lelouch started, recognizing that voice as belonging to the girl. Even if he'd only heard her say one sentence, he still recognized it. _That girl...what is this?_ He thought.

 _You appear to have a reason to live. If I were to give you power, would you be able to live still?_

Flash of a time that wasn't his own filled with unidentifiable silhouettes surged around him.

 _I propose a deal. I will grant you a power, the Power of the Kings, and, in return, all I ask for is one simple thing; for you to grant me one wish._

The white was suddenly bathed in orange light and Lelouch looked up, stunned to find the planet of Jupiter looming above him against a star-speckled backdrop.

 _Know this though, the Power of the Kings will grant you a life of solitude. You will forever be separated from the rest of mankind._

The orange light took on a reddish tinge, making it seem as if the white landscape was on fire, though Lelouch only felt slight warmth.

 _If you accept this contract, you accept its terms. Therefore, Lelouch vi Britannia, do you accept?_

Did he accept? This Power of the Kings, he didn't know what it would be and yet it might be able to get him out of this situation alive and he could both return to Nunnally and continue his plans to destroy Britannia.

Did he really have anything to lose by accepting this contract? He didn't. If he didn't accept it then he was dead. If he did then he might be able to get himself and Suzaku out of this situation alive.

So should he accept it?

The answer to that was simple.

 _Yes, I do hereby accept the terms of this contract._

And, just like that, he was suddenly back in the abandoned subway station. He blinked as he felt a faint burning sensation behind his left eye and he self-consciously covered it; it wasn't a painful sensation, it was just uncomfortable. And yet that power that the girl had granted him; he, somehow, knew just what it was and it was...an intriguing power.

"...last words, Your Highness?" the Captain of the Royal Guard asked. He must have been talking while Lelouch was experiencing that odd experience.

He chuckled, feeling a small demonic smirk cross his lips as he stood up and faced the Royal Guard, one hand still covering his left eye. "Let me ask you something. How does one expect a prince who hates his own country to live his life?" he said.

That caused the Royal Guard to shift uncomfortably, since Lelouch's words were borderline treason and he knew it, which was why he'd said them.

"What's the matter?" he said mockingly. "I thought you were going to kill me? I mean, I did speak words that are borderline treason and you already were going to kill me so why not shoot now?" Yes, he was taunting them. No, he was not sorry.

The Royal Guard shifted again, looking uncomfortable.

"Come now. I'm unarmed and defenseless and you ensured that my knight can't protect me," Lelouch went on, still in that mocking tone of voice and still with a demonic smirk on his lips. He was sure that was the cause of the Royal Guard's uncomfortableness.

They still didn't move.

"Or have you finally realized, only those who should kill are those who are prepared to _be_ killed?" Lelouch said firmly, removing his left hand from his eye and his eye lit up with a red, bird-like sigil that he now understood was the symbol of Geass.

"I, Lelouch vi Britannia, command you: release Suzaku and then die!" he hissed.

The Royal Guard started, eyes widening as a ring of red appeared around their irises. Then the Captain stated, "Yes, Your Highness," as the soldiers who'd pinned Suzaku to the ground, and who's eyes also had that red ring around the iris, released him.

Suzaku scrambled to his feet, watching in wide-eyed horror as the Royal Guard turned their guns on themselves and pulled the trigger, causing blood to spray everywhere, splashing on Lelouch's cheek.

He barely paid attention to it as he was too busy marveling at his new power. A power that was like no other. Absolute Obedience. He didn't know how, perhaps the green-haired girl had something to do with it, but he was positive that was what it was called.

"Well then," he murmured to himself, that soft demonic smirk still on his lips.

 **. . .**

Suzaku stared at his best friend and then at the Royal Guard's blood-soaked bodies and then at Lelouch again, jaw agape. He didn't know whether the soldiers who'd pinned him down had knocked him out and he was dreaming or not, though if he was, it certainly wasn't a pleasant dream. And if it was real then that meant…

"L...Lelouch?" Suzaku managed to get out.

Lelouch turned to gaze at him, his face softening as he raised a hand and gently wiped the blood off his cheek. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Y...Yeah...What...was that?" Suzaku exclaimed, waving a hand toward the Royal Guard's corpses, unable to look at them at the moment.

A loud _boom_ sounded followed by more gunfire and Lelouch glanced toward it, lips pressed together in a frown.

"Explanations can come later. Right now, we need to stop this," Lelouch said, eyes taking on that thoughtful, calculating look that he always took on whenever he was facing a tricky opponent in chess. He wandered over to the Royal Guard, retrieving his radio, ignoring the bloodstains on it and Suzaku shivered a little, still not entirely sure what to make of what he saw.

"Suzaku, I have a plan," Lelouch said finally, turning his amethyst eyes to Suzaku. "Will you help me?"

Suzaku may not know what had just happened but there was no denying that he would help Lelouch. Lelouch was his prince and, while Suzaku didn't approve of what Lelouch just did—nor did he understand just what happened—he would still follow and help his prince. After all, Lelouch was his best friend and like a brother to him, for one, and it was because of Lelouch that Suzaku had actually risen in the ranks, something that no Honorary Britannian has ever done before, and was one step closer to his goal, for another.

"Yes, my prince," Suzaku said firmly.

"I know you well enough to know that you are not going to like my plan, however," Lelouch said.

Suzaku's lips thinned. "I will still do as you command, my prince," he said.

Lelouch's lips curved into a smile. "Very well," he said. "Then our first step is that we're going to have to split up."

"What?!"

"I can't call the Black Knights here, Suzaku," Lelouch said, turning the radio he'd taken from the captain of the Royal Guard in his hands. "If I do then, as I already told you, the chaos would be intensified simply because no one would know who the enemy is. That means in order to stop this madness, I am going to have to seek aid from another source."

Another _boom_ sounded nearby.

"And I have the perfect source," Lelouch added and went on to explain the rest of his plan to Suzaku.

Suzaku stared as the plan echoed in his mind. "Forgive me, my prince, but are you freaking crazy?!" he exclaimed.

Lelouch blinked, looking thoughtful. "It's possible," he said finally.

Suzaku groaned. "Okay, first of all, how are you going to get the terrorists to actually work with you? Secondly, how, exactly, are you going to give the terrorists an advantage to the point that Prince Clovis's forces will be forced to focus on them and not the civilians? And thirdly, how do you expect me to _survive_ rejoining your Royal Guard _without you?_ Jeremiah will kill me if he finds out that I left you behind!"

"I'll contact them personally and explain the situation. I will reassure Jeremiah that it wasn't your fault and you were just following my orders," Lelouch said.

"My first priority is your safety, my prince. You can't really expect me to just leave you behind enemy lines like this," Suzaku exclaimed.

"They won't have to know that we split up of our own accord. They can just think that the terrorists separated us. Besides, we could use the _Lancelot_ , Suzaku, to keep the terrorists on their toes while also giving me time to get back to the G1. Once I speak to Clovis and convince him to order a ceasefire then it'll be over."

"I don't like this," Suzaku said. "I really don't." He was having a bad feeling about this.

"Suzaku," Lelouch said, narrowing his eyes. "You said that you would do as I command. Therefore, I command you to follow my orders."

Suzaku sighed. "I know what I said. All right, fine, my prince, but Jeremiah is not going to be happy at best." _And will try to kill me at worst,_ he thought.

"As I said, leave Jeremiah to me," Lelouch said. "Now go. The longer we dawdle here, the more innocents will be killed."

Suzaku bowed. "Yes, my prince," he said. He paused as he straightened and added, "Stay safe."

"You too," Lelouch said and turned around before jogging to the other end of the subway station, slipping out of it into the shadows of the ghetto beyond.

Suzaku, sending out a silent plea to whichever deity would be willing to listen to him to keep Lelouch safe, turned and darted back the way he had come.

 **. . .**

 _Streets, Shinjuku Ghetto_

"Those damn Britannians!" Kallen shouted in fury as she sped away from a particularly difficult Sutherland who'd managed to sever one of her Glasgow's arms before she got away. The battle was getting worse; the Kozuki Resistance didn't have much on them and Michal and Reyes were still too far away to be of any use. To make mattes worse, Kallen was running out of energy to her Glasgow.

She whirled around and fired her Slash Harkens at the Sutherland that was chasing her but the pilot dodged out of the way before firing his own back at her. She dodged but she was really running out of time and energy. She gritted her teeth. _I have to keep going. I have to draw Britannia's attention! Those civilians...they shouldn't have to suffer, not when this is our fault to begin with,_ she thought.

She knew that it was her resistance's fault because they'd stolen that poison gas capsule, even though they were only doing it because if Britannia released it then the causalities would likely be even greater than what they were facing now. Not that now was any better but they'd been trying to save lives. The Liberators, at least the ones that were following Unity, didn't want to kill innocent civilians.

Kallen wasn't surprised, at all, that Britannia was all too willing to kill innocent civilians though.

She gritted her teeth as she felt gunfire crash into her Glasgow's already battered form and started weaving in an attempt to avoid the gunfire. While it did help a bit, she was still getting hit by the gunfire.

Her screens flashed a warning and she swore. _Only fifteen minutes left,_ she thought as she swerved again.

Suddenly, the radio attached to her Glasgow crackled to life. " _The west entrance,_ " a strange voice said. " _Head for the west entrance._ "

 _What the…?_ "Who is this? How did you get this frequency?" Kallen demanded.

" _That doesn't matter. If you want to win then follow my orders._ "

 _To win?_ Kallen hadn't even thought about winning. All she thought about was drawing Britannia's attention long enough to give the surviving civilians time to get out of the Shinjuku Ghetto or, at least, find a place to hide until Britannia was no longer hunting them. However, she also knew that the same thing would happen if they won this battle, and she would be lying to herself if she said that she didn't want to win.

However, the situation seemed so hopeless that Kallen had given up, earlier, on the idea of winning.

But this voice was saying that they could win if they followed his orders?

She didn't trust this voice but did she really have anything to lose by listening to him?

No, no she did not.

She swerved and sped rapidly toward the west entrance to the ghettos, briefly aware of the fact that two more Sutherlands had joined the first that had been chasing her. She glided onto the tracks, heading toward the west entrance.

"Okay, I'm here. Now what?" Kallen asked the voice on the radio, hearing the sound of a train coming in her direction. She wondered why a train would be heading into the middle of a battle, unless, of course, they didn't know the battle was going on. She decided that it didn't matter right now as the voice came back.

" _Since you have granted me your trust in this matter, I will grant you victory. Jump onto that train,_ " the voice said as the train roared into view.

"Understood," Kallen said and, jerking the controls back tightly, leapt onto the top of the train, gliding down the length a bit as the train rammed into the three Sutherlands. It didn't damage the knightmares and started to slow down a bit.

The Sutherlands were about to leap onto the train after her but two were struck by two Slash Harkens that shot out from an abandoned building next to the tracks, she briefly noticed that it was a Sutherland as well, damaging them enough to force the two pilots to eject. The third Sutherland whirled around but Kallen didn't wait for it to try to attack the knightmare that'd helped her. She launched herself at the final Sutherland, firing each of her Slash Harken straight into its factsphere and chest respectively, damaging them beyond repair. The pilot ejected and Kallen let out the breath that she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"Hey, thanks, but how'd you get your hands on a Sutherland?" she asked, turning to gaze at the abandoned building as the train came to a halt but blinked when she saw that the Sutherland was gone.

"Kallen!" A shout sounded down below and Kallen turned to find Ohgi, Sugiyama, and Tamaki running toward the train.

"Did you hear that voice?" Ohgi asked as Kallen jumped down from the top of the train.

"You heard it too?" Kallen said, surprised, over the loudspeaker.

"Yeah, helped us outta a pickle we were in. Yoshida's group should be joining us soon, by the way." Sugiyama admitted, shifting the missile launcher that was attached to a strap on his back. "Who was that voice though?"

Ohgi shook his head. "I don't..." he began.

" _Are you the leader?_ " the voice came back, this time speaking through Ohgi's radio, loud enough for the three to hear him.

Ohgi lifted it to his lips. "Um, yeah, I guess," he said as Yoshida and the rest of his group joined them.

" _Then I present you with what's inside this cargo train. They will be your tools to stop this atrocity. As long as you follow my orders, they are yours to use,_ " the voice said.

Kallen blinked and glanced at the train, wondering just what was inside it.

Sugiyama walked over to the cargo train and, grasping the door, opened it and stared in wide-eyed surprise.

"No way," Tamaki, who'd come to Sugiyama's side, exclaimed.

Kallen moved her Glasgow forward and her eyes went wide with shock when she saw the neat line of brand-new Sutherlands packed into the cargo hold. "How the hell…?!" she exclaimed.

" _Woman in the Glasgow,_ " the voice said in a clipped, commanding tone.

"Ah, yeah?" Kallen pulled herself out of her shock to respond to the voice's tone.

" _You will remain in that Glasgow. You'll be running decoy. How's your energy level?_ "

Kallen, deciding that if she wanted to stop this battle then she may as well listen to the voice—after all, he had saved her life earlier—glanced at her screen. "Less than fifteen minutes worth," she said.

" _Then recharge. I'll contact you again in ten minutes for your next set of orders,_ " the voice said and the radio went silent.

"Should we really listen to this voice?" Yoshida asked worriedly. "I mean, how in the world did this guy even manage to get all these Sutherlands?"

"Do we really have a choice though?" Sugiyama said with a frown. "The citizens of this ghetto are getting killed and we have tools to actually stop it."

"You're right. All right. We'll give him the benefit of the doubt," Ohgi said finally. "Since we need to stop this before more civilians are killed."

Kallen nodded and moved over to the cargo hold to recharge her energy filler while thinking about that voice and wondering just who it was.

 **. . .**

 _Edge of the Shinjuku Ghetto_

As soon as Suzaku got above ground and moved to the west of the abandoned subway tunnel, due to the battle taking place primarily in the east, he moved to the edge of the ghetto while contacting Lelouch's Royal Guard. He told them that Lelouch wanted them to meet him at the edge of the ghetto while, in his mind, he was coming up with a way to explain why Lelouch wasn't with him.

And hope that Jeremiah would let him explain before trying to kill him.

Suzaku shivered but forced himself to keep going. It'd taken him a good twenty minutes to get to the edge and he was grateful that Lelouch's Royal Guard had managed to get there in that amount of time. They'd come in their knightmares, which Suzaku knew was a good thing if Lelouch's plan was to work out.

He still didn't like it, especially not with how much risk his prince was putting himself in, but he had said he would follow his prince's orders and he would.

Though, considering the vicious death glare that Jeremiah was giving him, he was starting to wonder if it was worth it.

"Where is Prince Lelouch?" Jeremiah demanded as Suzaku joined them. He looked like he was about ready to throttle or shoot him.

"We got separated," Suzaku said. "He managed to contact me and told me to tell you to meet up here to help to clear the way for him to get back to relative safety." It was only the bare minimum of his reasoning but Suzaku really didn't have enough time to explain everything; besides, he didn't even understand everything, certainly not _how_ Lelouch had gotten Prince Clovis's Royal Guard to kill themselves.

He inwardly shivered at the memory of that and shoved it aside. Lelouch said that he would explain later so he would wait until then.

"You left him there?" Jeremiah growled, hands clenched into a fist.

"I couldn't get to him," Suzaku said defensively. "There were too many terrorists between us and I...he ordered me to leave and get help." He really wasn't a good liar but he hoped that his friends and Jeremiah hadn't caught his lie.

"What can we do? We don't even know the situation here," Rayne said with a frown. "And how the hell did you two end up in this situation to begin with?"

"Long story," Suzaku admitted.

Jeremiah's radio went off at that moment and he pulled it from his belt and brought it to his lips. "This is Gottwald," he stated firmly.

" _Jeremiah,_ " Lelouch's voice sounded softly, making it seem as if he was trying not to attract anyone's attention.

"Your Highness! Are you all right? Where are you?" Jeremiah asked.

" _...Not entirely sure. After those terrorists separated me from my knight, I knew that I would be killed if I remained so I went off to find some place to hide until I could find a way to break through but..._ " The radio abruptly cut out, which Suzaku knew was really just Lelouch contacting those terrorists he was 'aiding' at the moment and giving them orders.

But, based on that little action, Suzaku wondered: just how the hell was Lelouch able to convince the terrorists to work with him?

"Your Highness?" Jeremiah said worriedly.

"... _Sorry...had to move to a new location. Those terrorists nearly spotted me but...I believe Clovis must've called for reinforcement Sutherlands but the terrorists have managed to steal them. That's going to even out the playing field a bit and make it even harder for me to get past the fighting. Did Suzaku tell you about my orders for you?_ "

"He said that you needed our help to clear a path for you to get through," Lila said.

" _Exactly. I want you to aid Clovis and fight off those terrorists. If they get put at a disadvantage then they'll focus more on the enemy than on anything else and I'll be able to use that to slip past them. I'll contact you again when I get back to the G1. I have to speak to my brother anyway. And Jeremiah, do not be too angry with my knight. He was following my orders._ "

Jeremiah's lips pressed into a thin line. "Very well, Your Highness," he said and tucked the radio away as Lelouch cut the call. He gave Suzaku a cool look but said nothing, except, "Let's get moving!"

He turned and strode to his Sutherland.

Tadashi came to Suzaku's side, patting his shoulder. "Ah, you were just doing as you were ordered so he can't stay mad at ya. C'mon, ya can ride with me 'till we get to the G1," he said. He was only allowed to pilot a knightmare because of Lelouch; anyone else would have adhered to Britannia's policy of discrimination but Lelouch proved, when he knighted Suzaku, that he cared little for that policy, and for what people thought of him.

Suzaku nodded and followed Tadashi over to his knightmare.

 **. . .**

 _Shinjuku Ghetto_

Lelouch chuckled as he leaned back into the seat of the Sutherland he'd stolen, flipping around the black king chess piece in his hand; he'd gotten that from a chess board he'd found in the warehouse where he'd gotten his Sutherland. It really hadn't been hard to get the base to send a shipment of brand-new Sutherlands without the IFF transponders activated nor had it been hard to obtain a Sutherland for himself. For the latter, one of the Sutherlands that'd been fighting had run into him and Lelouch, after discovering that his new power required eye contact, had convinced him to get down from his Sutherland and then Geassed him into giving it up. For the former, he just had to call General Andon, tell him that he needed the shipment to handle a terrorist threat in the Shinjuku Ghetto and Andon had agreed to do so.

Now he was commanding the terrorists while putting his plan with his Royal Guard into action. All he needed to do was grant the terrorists a strong advantage over Clovis's forces so that when his Royal Guard stepped in to aid Clovis, Clovis would actually be needing it. However, this was all being done just so he could get to the G1 without getting caught in the crossfire of the battle and to draw attention away from the civilians.

Lelouch hadn't been lying to Suzaku when he said that he was going to convince Clovis to call for a ceasefire but that wasn't all he was going to do.

He'd seen the many innocent bodies that were strewn across the streets of the Shinjuku Ghetto, bringing back terrible memories of trekking through a bloodstained and war-torn Japan during the invasion. And, this time, it had been because of _Clovis_ that all those innocent people had been murdered, and all because of that girl!

A girl who had the power to grant other people powers of their own.

A girl who'd, somehow, managed to survive a gunshot wound through the head long enough to grant Lelouch that power.

Either way, Clovis was responsible for this massacre.

He'd even ordered the death of his own half-brother, which made Lelouch angry but also faintly distressed. Clovis was one of only two of his half-brothers that he actually truly cared about and, yet, that brotherly love had been destroyed the instant Clovis had given that order.

 _What happened to you, Brother Clovis? You've always been one to get upset when things don't go your way or you lost something that was yours but this? This is going too far, even for you,_ Lelouch thought, pressing his lips tightly together.

His radio crackled and Kallen's voice sounded over it. " _Hey, I've drawn the squad to the designated location. What now?_ " she asked.

Lowering his voice so that Kallen couldn't recognize it, Lelouch said, " _Now, N1, N2, P1, P2, fire at 3 o'clock._ "

" _What? Why the hell would we do that?_ " the loudmouth that was P2 exclaimed.

" _Do as he says,_ " the one codenamed N1 said firmly.

The terrorists did as Lelouch ordered them to and the screen in front of him flashed red with various 'LOST' signals; he could see that the terrorists had succeeded in taking out a large chunk of Clovis's forces. His Royal Guard should be showing up at any moment but, until they were in position to join the fight, there were five moves that Clovis could make.

To his faint surprise, Clovis made the worst move he could possibly make.

He broke the encirclement around the G1.

"Clovis, Clovis, you haven't learned at all," Lelouch chided and keyed on his radio. "Q1"—that was the codename he gave to Kallen—"Do you have a map of the area?"

" _It's an old one without all the landmarks,_ " Kallen said.

"It'll do," Lelouch said and gave his next set of orders, smirking to himself. _Check, Clovis,_ he thought and, turning his Sutherland around, he guided it away from the building he was in, keying on the radio he had connected to Jeremiah and his Royal Guard.

"Have you reached the G1 yet?" he asked once confirming that the radio he was using to be in contact with the terrorists was off on his end.

" _We're here, Your Highness,_ " Jeremiah stated firmly.

"Good. Clovis's forces seem to be in need of some help. Aid them and draw them further east. I'll be able to get by once that happens. Suzaku, use the _Lancelot._ It'll turn the tide of this battle in our favor quickly enough."

" _Yes, Your Highness,_ " Jeremiah and his Royal Guard stated.

" _Yes, my prince,_ " Suzaku said firmly.

Lelouch turned off that radio on his end and put it down. He grabbed the controls and jumped from the building he was in, knowing that the distraction from the battle would be enough to mask his movements. He then sped toward where the G1 was located, moving swiftly as soon as he saw his Royal Guard and the white form of the _Lancelot_ launching themselves into the battle.

 **. . .**

Suzaku darted over to where the A.S.E.E.C.'s mobile base was located by the G1. He wondered briefly just how Lloyd had managed to get to the Shinjuku Ghetto as quickly as he had, since he'd only contacted them as soon as he'd gotten above ground. He pushed the thought away as he skidded to a halt in the hangar of the mobile base, removing the activation key for the _Lancelot_ from around his neck.

"Is it ready to launch?" he asked breathlessly as he darted over to the looming white knightmare frame.

"Yup. Everything's ready. Ohh, I'm so happy that I get to get more battle data!" Lloyd exclaimed happily.

Cecile sighed and studied Suzaku curiously as he grabbed the access cable and it carried him to the knightmare's cockpit chair. "Is everything all right?" she asked.

"I certainly hope so," Suzaku said and closed the hatch of the knightmare. Once the cockpit chair was in place, he inserted the activation key, typed in the activation code, shifted into launching position, and launched. Landspinners spun on the ground as he shot away from the mobile base and head straight toward where the majority of the fighting was taking place on the east end of the ghetto.

His communicator chimed before Jeremiah's voice sounded over it. " _Major Frost, Lieutenant Frost, come with me. We'll flank the terrorists on the west side and push them further east,_ " he said firmly. " _Lieutenant Moore, Major Duncan, Warrant Officer Akiyama, provide fire support for Major Kururugi._ "

Major. Even though a few months had gone by since his Knighting Ceremony, it was still surreal that Suzaku had attained the rank of Major. It had been automatically given to him when he'd accepted the title of Knight of Honor for Lelouch, much to the contempt of the vast majority of the Britannians, military and non-military alike. He didn't care what they thought of him but he did still feel vaguely uncomfortable whenever someone referred to him by his rank.

Tadashi had also been promoted and Suzaku knew he had nearly fainted from shock when he'd been told that.

" _Yes, sir,_ " Tadashi, Lila, and Dimitri said.

" _What of the civilians?_ " Tadashi asked worriedly.

Suzaku keyed on his headset. "My prince would never want the civilians to get hurt. I suggest focusing entirely on the terrorists themselves," he said, aware that he did, technically speaking, outrank Lelouch's Royal Guard because of his title of Knight of Honor.

" _Agreed. Besides, we are only doing this to give His Highness time to get back to safety,_ " Jeremiah said firmly. ' _Since he was left behind enemy lines'_ wasn't said but Suzaku wouldn't be surprised if that was what Jeremiah was thinking. He, himself, was thinking it only due to the bad feeling that refused to go away.

Pushing that feeling aside for now, he headed straight for the heart of the battle, withdrawing the MVSs strapped to his side and activating them as he launched himself at the enemy. Gunfire exploded behind him at the knightmares as Lila, Dimitri, and Tadashi shot rapidly after them; none of them were Aces nor were they part of the knightmare corps but they certainly knew how to pilot. All members of the military knew how to pilot; it was a requirement after all.

Suzaku sliced and slashed his way through the stolen Sutherlands around them. He'd noticed within moments of the battle beginning that some of the Sutherlands didn't have IFF transponders, since they weren't appearing on his screen, and figured that they were the enemy. After all, Lelouch had said that he'd ordered a whole squad of Sutherlands without IFF transponders to give to the terrorists.

Even if he didn't approve of the plan, and knew of just how much risk his prince was putting himself in, Suzaku had to admit that it was a brilliant one. Not that he was surprised; Lelouch was a strategical genius after all.

A Slash Harken fired rapidly at him and Suzaku nimbly dodged out of the way, spinning around in time to see a one-armed red Glasgow speeding rapidly toward him, retracting the Slash Harken it had fired at him. It pulled out a rifle and began firing at him but Suzaku angled the _Lancelot_ 's arm in front of him, activating the Blazes Luminous. The bullets reflected off the glowing green shield as he shot forward, slashing the MVS in his knightmare's other hand toward the Glasgow's remaining arm.

The Glasgow dodged swiftly out of the way, firing a Slash Harken at Suzaku who sliced toward it with his MVSs, forcing the pilot to retract it before he lost one of the few weapons he had left. Suzaku shot forward again, once again intent on severing that last arm but the Glasgow dodged. It was fast but Suzaku was faster, able to force the Glasgow to remain on the defensive.

" _Suzaku, do you need any help?_ " Lila asked.

" _I doubt it. He seems to be holding his own against that pilot, though that pilot's pretty good,_ " Tadashi commented. " _Why don't we make sure no one gets a shot at his back?_ "

" _All right,_ " Lila said.

" _Very well. Any word from His Highness?_ " Dimitri asked as the three knightmares shot past where Suzaku and the Glasgow were fighting and launched themselves at a few Sutherlands without IFF transponders that were fighting some members of the 1st Regiment nearby.

"Not yet," Suzaku said, pressing his lips together tightly as he dodged another Slash Harken being fired at him. _Lelouch, where are you? You should've gotten to the G1 by now,_ he thought.

 **. . .**

 _Alley, Shinjuku Ghetto_

Lelouch pressed his back against the wall, peering around the corner at the two terrorists that were firing at some Britannian foot soldiers nearby and gritted his teeth. The foot soldiers had appeared around the corner to start firing on the civilians and two terrorists, who'd been trying to help the civilians, had started fighting back instantly. At the same time, Lelouch, who'd already vacated his Sutherland earlier, had taken refuge in an alley at the other end of the block. Unfortunately, the alley also happened to be a dead end so the only way he could get to the G1 was to get past the fighting.

Since they were fighting two to nine, it wasn't a surprise when one of the terrorists was killed. The other, upon seeing his comrade die, bolted, firing over his shoulder as he did so. He then removed a grenade from his belt, lobbed it over his shoulder and dived into the same alley Lelouch was hiding in, crashing into him. Both of them went tumbling away from the mouth of the alley as a resounding _boom_ sounded as the grenade went off.

The terrorist lifted his head and his eyes widened. "Wait, you're..." he began.

" _Obey my every order,_ " Lelouch ordered sharply as his left eye burned with the glowing red sigil of Geass.

The terrorist stiffened as a red ring appeared around his irises. "Yes, Your Highness," he said.

"Get off," Lelouch said and the terrorist quickly scrambled off him, standing nearby like a puppet waiting for the puppet-master to start pulling its strings.

The Demon Prince ignored the terrorist as he edged toward the mouth of the alley, frowning as he spotted that the grenade had taken out seven members of the squad. The two remaining members were covered in cuts from the debris, likely, but, otherwise, seemed all right. If they got closer and saw him then Lelouch could use his Geass on them to make them forget ever seeing him. But he didn't know the limits of his power; he only knew, at the moment, that it required eye contact.

As Lelouch scanned the street, he paused when he spotted a boy that looked like he was about fifteen years old, and was oddly familiar, crouched by an overturned cart, terror on his tear-stained face. His dirty blonde hair was covered in dirt and grime and his clothes were torn in various places as he flicked his eyes from the soldiers to the other side of the street, tensing when he spotted Lelouch.

Not that Lelouch was the threat he should really be focusing on. Lelouch's lips thinned and his hand went to the gun holstered at his side as the two Britannian soldiers came to a stop near the overturned cart.

"I found a citizen," the soldier said, grabbing the boy's arm and he yelped as he was dragged onto the street by the first soldier. He caught Lelouch's eyes and the fear in his eyes turned to hope. It was clear he was hoping that Lelouch would do something.

"Kill him. Prince Clovis ordered that everyone in the ghetto be killed," the second soldier said.

Lelouch's jaw clenched and he removed his gun. "Fire at the first soldier's shoulder. Do not hit the kid," he ordered the Geassed terrorist at his side.

"Yes, Your Highness," the terrorist said and removed his gun before darting out into the street, firing at the first soldier while Lelouch fired at the second to ensure that the Geassed terrorist wasn't killed. He was still useful.

The first terrorist screamed in pain as the bullet struck his shoulder and he let go of the boy as blood splattered out of the wound onto the boy. The bullet Lelouch fired struck the second terrorist in the chest and he collapsed with a cry. Lelouch, scanning the street to make sure there were no more soldiers, stepped onto the street, lowering the gun.

"Do you have anywhere to go, kid?" he asked as his amethyst eyes scanned the area.

The boy swallowed and shook his head. "N...No, ah, Your...Your Highness," he stammered out, still terrified.

Lelouch's lips pressed together in thought. Finally, he said, "Go into that building,"—he pointed to the building they were standing beside—"and find a place to hide. If anyone comes in, play dead. I'll send some of my men to check up on you when the battle's over."

"W...Why? I mean...I'm an Eleven," the boy said.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "Why would I let someone who's innocent get hurt for being in the wrong place at the wrong time?" he said.

The boy was silent for a moment, studying him. "Brother was right. You really are nothing like the media portrays you," he said finally.

"Brother?"

"Tadashi Akiyama. He's part of your Royal Guard. I'm his little brother Fuyuki," the boy said with a slight bow.

Lelouch hummed, briefly recalling that Tadashi did mention that he had a little brother. _That explains why he reminded me of someone,_ he thought.

A _boom_ sounded nearby and Lelouch looked up, brow furrowing. "The battle's getting worse," he murmured. _If I don't go now then there probably won't be anyone left in the ghetto by the time the ceasefire's called,_ he thought. "Go and hide for now, Fuyuki. I'll send your brother to come and find you when this is over. I'm sure he'll want reassurance that you're all right anyway."

Fuyuki nodded. "Thank you," he whispered and darted off to the building that Lelouch had indicated and slipped inside it.

Lelouch turned to the Geassed terrorist at his side, noticing that he was still under his control. _Hmm, I should probably test, at some point, just how long it lasts. Then again, there are a lot of things that I'm going to have to test,_ he thought. There were also a lot of questions that he had but also some answers as well, especially about Tara.

He now knew of just what that power Tara had used on him, his sister, and his classmates at the museum.

She had a Geass as well, but one that was very different from his own.

Pushing the thought out of his mind to focus on the matter at hand, Lelouch ordered the terrorist to follow him and darted off to the G1, going over the plan in his mind. He needed to get to Clovis, convince him to issue a ceasefire, and question him; with his Geass, he'd be able to get the truth out of Clovis. And since he now had the chance to actually get the truth out of his brother, Lelouch decided to also question him about his mother. He hadn't had a chance in the times that he and Clovis had spoken and still wasn't entirely sure whether he could trust Clovis's word anyway. But, either way, once he got the truth about why Clovis would go so far as to order the deaths of all the citizens of the ghetto, the majority of whom hadn't done anything wrong, and order the death of Lelouch himself, then…

Well, then he would do what needed to be done to ensure that nothing like that happened again.

He turned to the terrorist at his side. "I order you to..." he began.

 **. . .**

 _Damn, this guy's fast,_ Kallen thought, gritting her teeth as she dodged around the Slash Harkens the white knightmare frame fired at her and fired her own back at him. They had been fighting near the heart of the ghetto for the past fifteen minutes and neither of them was gaining and advantage over the other. She didn't know who the pilot of the white knightmare frame was, only knowing that it had participated in the Battle of Osaka and the Battle of Sapporo, but she did know that he was good.

But so was she.

She grinned as she dodged out of the way and fired a round of bullets at the white knightmare and, when he moved to block them with that damn green shield of his, she fired a Slash Harken at his arm. She scowled a moment later when he managed to dodge out of the way but she, too, dodged out of the way of those glowing red swords that sliced toward her.

They were both fast enough that they were able to avoid the majority of their opponent's attacks but it was clear that the white knightmare had the advantage in terms of speed, skill, and his armament. Kallen was running on limited power and limited weapons but she knew that she could hold her own for a little while longer. She just needed to hold out for as long as she possibly could because if she didn't then the civilians would pay the price.

" _Kallen, how are you doing?_ " Ohgi's voice asked as Kallen dodged out of the way of another Slash Harken.

"Pretty much a stalemate. I'm fighting that white knightmare frame," Kallen replied.

" _That one? Wow,_ " Tamaki said.

" _Reyes and Michal have managed to make it to the ghetto but they don't think they need to provide much support. Those knightmares that voice gave us certainly gave us the advantage, but the addition of reinforcements has us evenly matched again,_ " Ohgi said.

"And the civilians?"

" _There aren't many left but Michal noticed that the newcomers aren't firing at the civilians. They're focused entirely on us,_ " Ohgi said.

Kallen frowned. "Well, if these reinforcements are commanded by who I'm pretty sure they _are_ commanded by then I'm not surprised," she asked, swiftly gliding to the side to avoid a thrust from the white knightmare's red sword.

" _Also, we've lost contact with Yoshida and that Yamato Alliance member. Inoue is trying to raise him now but he's not answering,_ " Ohgi said.

Kallen frowned and jumped back to avoid another slice from the white knightmare's other red sword and fired her rifle at him, thankful that it could be used with only one hand. She also fired a Slash Harken but the white knightmare caught the bullets with his green shield and sliced toward the cable connected to the Slash Harken, forcing her to retract it quickly.

" _This is Reyes. You will not believe this!_ " Reyes's voice exclaimed over the radio.

" _What is it?_ " Ohgi asked in confusion.

" _The Demon Prince! He's here! In the ghetto!_ "

"What?!" Kallen exclaimed and her sudden surprise nearly cost her but she managed to dodge a slice from that red blade. "What do you mean 'he's here'?"

" _We just saw him briefly from our vantage point when we arrived before he ducked out of sight,_ " Michal explained.

" _Wait, I see him again. He's heading for the G1. What the hell is he even doing here?_ " Reyes wondered aloud.

" _Doesn't matter. This might be your chance to capture the prince, if you can get to him before he gets to the G1, and fulfill your end of your bargain with Unity,_ " Michal said.

" _Are you sure? We are in the middle of a battle right now,_ " Tamaki said.

"Yeah. I, for one, got my hands full," Kallen said, dodging a Slash Harken being fired her way.

" _We could send Taichi and Susumu,_ " Minami's voice sounded over the radio. " _Last I heard, they were in that area anyway._ " Taichi and Susumu were two of three former members of the Yamato Alliance who fled to the Shinjuku Ghetto following the Yamato Alliance's attack on the lab that Michal and Reyes had orchestrated to give them time to steal the gas capsule.

Kallen, like the rest of the Kozuki Resistance, didn't really care for the Yamato Alliance because of their recent tendency to get innocents involved, a tendency that only started when their former leader Izumi was killed. Still, Taichi and Susumu were two of Reyes and Michal's three spies within the Yamato Alliance, and the only reason why Michal and Reyes were able to get the Yamato Alliance to pull what they pulled, hence why they'd fled to the Shinjuku Ghetto. They were there on Michal's orders and Michal's recent orders for them was to follow Ohgi's orders.

" _That might be best. Taichi! Susumu! Are you there?_ " Ohgi called over the radio as Kallen, gritting her teeth as a Slash Harken from the white knightmare made it past her defenses and nearly lodged itself in her factsphere, quickly dodged out of the way. She ignored Ohgi talking with Reyes and Michal's two spies as she refocused her attention on her stubborn but rather skilled opponent.

 **. . .**

 _This pilot is really stubborn,_ Suzaku thought as he and the red Glasgow continued to fight, their fight taking them from the heart of the Shinjuku Ghetto further south toward where the G1 was located. He gritted his teeth because he still hadn't receive a confirmation from his prince that he'd gotten to safety and that bad feeling was getting worse and worse with each passing second.

" _Any word from His Highness?_ " Lila asked quietly.

"Nothing," Suzaku said as he dodged out of the way of the Glasgow as it charged at him and fired his Slash Harken at the Glasgow's side, only for the pilot to fire his own back at his. The two Slash Harkens crashed into each other, causing their paths to divert in opposite directions; Suzaku's sailed through a window while the Glasgow's pilot's nearly got tangled in a broken balcony.

" _Did he run into some trouble?_ " Tadashi asked.

"I don't know," Suzaku said, pressing his lips tightly together in a thin line and deciding that if Lelouch didn't contact him in the next five minutes then he would stop his fight against this Glasgow and go looking for his prince. Besides, only about ten minutes had actually gone by so he could just be paranoid.

Even if that bad feeling refused to go away.

 **. . .**

 _G1 Base, Shinjuku Ghetto_

After narrowly avoiding getting caught by two terrorists who'd chased after him for a good block before Lelouch managed to find a hiding place to avoid them, he finally managed to reach the G1 base. He honestly wasn't surprised to find the terrorist he'd Geassed already waiting where he'd told them to wait; his plan hinged on just how long his Geass would keep working on the terrorist. If it stopped before he got to the final stage of his plan then he would be in trouble.

He honestly didn't know why those terrorists were trying to capture him alive, given that they'd said as much and hadn't shot at him, though. It reminded him of those orders that the Liberators had received at Sapporo but it just didn't make sense; why would they want to capture him alive when they already told him that they wanted him dead? Unless it was to torture him to death as they had Major General Stromberg. That was a very strong possibility, he realized but pushed the thought away and, once again, focused on what was going on.

He gave the terrorist a brief, prearranged signal, and then made his way toward the soldiers. The soldiers tensed but relaxed when they saw who it was and the first soldier saluted. "Your Highness, we didn't realize that you had been caught up in this mess," he said.

"Save the pleasantries. I'm here to speak to my brother and _you will remain on guard duty and pay no attention to the person who comes into the base behind me,_ " Lelouch said, his eye lit up with the Geass sigil as he held the gaze of the soldier, and the soldiers around him, much like he had Clovis's Royal Guard.

They both stiffened, their eyes glowing red before they saluted. "Yes, Your Highness," they stated and Lelouch, deactivating his Geass, walked past them, heading for the doors to the base, briefly glancing over his shoulder at the battle that was still raging. He mentally timed it in his head and, realized, that if he wanted to get the timing just right, he would have to call Suzaku and his Royal Guard back now.

He grimaced because he knew that Suzaku was not going to be happy, especially since he never told his Knight about what was going to happen after he talked his brother into issuing the ceasefire but, then, he didn't have to know the full truth behind it. Lelouch just had to make it seem as if it was Clovis's men's fault.

He made his way onto the first floor of the base, studying the group as he activated his Geass and gave each of them his next set of specific orders before making his way down the hall to the elevator that would take him to the floor on which was Clovis's command center. He pulled out his communicator and connected to Suzaku's as he did so.

"Suzaku?" he said.

" _Yes, my prince? Have you gotten to safety?_ " Suzaku asked.

"Yes. I've reached the G1, however...something seems...wrong," Lelouch said, putting in some worry in his voice as he neared the door to the command center.

" _What's wrong?_ " Suzaku asked worriedly.

Lelouch listened as the sound of gunshots sounded on the first floor, muffled by the walls but just loud enough for Suzaku to hear.

" _What was…? My prince! Are you all right?_ " Suzaku demanded worriedly.

"I'm fine. Clovis's men will handle it. I'm going to speak to him now. Go ahead and head back to the base. Contact Jeremiah and tell him to withdraw as well," Lelouch said.

" _I'm on my way, my prince,_ " Suzaku said firmly, though the worry still existed in his voice and he disconnected the call.

 _Now, if I've timed this right then all the conditions will have been met,_ Lelouch thought as he turned off the communicator and returned it to his belt.

 **. . .**

 _Abandoned Warehouse, Shinjuku Ghetto_

Kallen, panting as she jogged away from where her ejected cockpit had landed, thought about the last few moments of the battle. She had only been forced to eject because she had run out of energy and only had enough energy to eject if she didn't want to be a sitting duck. According to what she last heard from her friends, they'd been forced to eject as well and the Demon Prince's Royal Guard had retreated. Also, Taichi and Susumu were unable to catch the Demon Prince, though only because the prince had managed to hide himself without them noticing.

"Kallen, over here," Ohgi's voice called and Kallen turned toward it before darting over to join Ohgi at the entrance to an abandoned warehouse where the few survivors of the massacre had taken shelter. Tamaki, Sugiyama, Inoue, and Minami were there as were Michal and Reyes, the latter of whom was talking rapidly into his radio.

"Where's Yoshida?" Kallen asked.

"Still haven't been able to reach him," Inoue said grimly.

"I hope he's all right," Kallen murmured as they made their way deeper into the warehouse.

"You! This is all your fault," one of the survivors shouted.

"What? What did you say?" Tamaki demanded, glaring at the man.

"If you hadn't tried to fight against Britannia, this would have never happened," a woman shouted.

Tamaki scowled.

"Calm yourself, Tamaki," Michal said. "Not everyone believes in the same thing. Where are Taichi and Susumu?"

Reyes held up a hand and swore angrily under his breath. "We've got a problem. They just reported that a squad of Britannians are converging on our position," he said.

"What?"

"What do we do?" Kallen gasped.

Just then, the doors to the warehouse blew open and a tank rolled in along with a score of foot soldiers.

"Oh, did I say they were converging on our position? I meant they were right outside," Reyes said.

Inoue kicked him, hard, in the groin.

Michal watched Reyes, letting out a high-pitched cry of pain, fall with little sympathy in his eyes. "It was your own fault," he said flatly.

"You all are hereby sentenced to death for terrorism against Britannia," the soldier in charge of the situation declared, raising a hand and Kallen's eyes widened as guns from all the soldiers were pointed at them and she sank to her knees.

 _I tried...I'm so sorry, Naoto,_ she cried silently.

" _Attention, all forces! Cease fire at once!"_ The voice of Prince Clovis echoed all around the ghetto, sounding especially loud in the confines of the warehouse. _"I, Clovis, third prince of Britannia and royal viceroy of Area Eleven, hereby command you: all forces are ordered to cease fire at once. You are also to cease destruction of any buildings or property. All casualties, whether Britannian or Eleven, shall be treated equally and without prejudice. In the name of Clovis la Britannia, you are hereby ordered: cease fire at once. I shall allow no further fighting._ "

Kallen stared, eyes wide with shock.

"What just happened?" Tamaki said.

Michal frowned, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "I'm wondering the exact same thing myself," he said.

 **. . .**

 _Command Center, G1 Base, Shinjuku Ghetto_

"There, I did it. Are you satisfied now? What next? Shall we sing songs or perhaps a nice game of chess?" Clovis said scornfully.

Lelouch, who was lounging in the shadows of the empty command center, his gun pointed at his half-brother, smirked quietly. "That has a familiar ring to it," he said coolly, keeping his voice low as he pushed himself away from the wall and stepped forward into the light.

Clovis's eyes went wide with shock. "L...Lelouch!" he exclaimed. "Oh, I'm so glad to see that you're all right."

"You're glad to see I'm all right? How ironic, considering you ordered my death less than an hour ago," Lelouch said flatly, his gun still aimed at his elder half-brother as he moved forward. "Do you not remember that? When you told your Royal Guard to ensure that there were no witnesses?"

Clovis's face paled considerably. "I...I had to! You don't know what she is! If...If word of her got out, I'd get disinherited," he exclaimed.

Lelouch's lips curled into a cool sneer. "I see. So your position is so much more important than your relationships. Why am I not surprised?" he said coolly, lowering the gun. "But I want to know why she's so important."

Clovis bit his lip but said nothing.

" _Answer all of my questions truthfully,_ " Lelouch ordered as soon as he locked eyes with his half-brother.

Clovis's eyes gained that ring of red around the irises. "Yes, go on," he said.

"What is so important about that green-haired girl?" Lelouch asked.

"She's immortal. No matter how many tests I had my men perform on her, no matter what they did to her to kill her, she always regenerated and came back to life," Clovis said monotonously.

"Tests? You were experimenting on a human?" Lelouch said in disgust, shocked at Clovis's words.

"Yes," Clovis said.

"Why?"

"In order to surpass you, Cornelia, and Schneizel and show that I am a true contender for the throne."

Lelouch's lips thinned at hearing his brother's ambition. "Why did you order the deaths of everyone in the Shinjuku Ghetto?" he asked.

"I could not risk either them or the Liberators getting their hands on the girl. I couldn't let that kind of power fall into the Liberators hands; it could spell doom for the entire Empire. They were just Elevens so I didn't think it mattered if they died so long as they took any knowledge they had of that girl with them," Clovis said.

That disgust grew and Lelouch's lips curled into a snarl, his mind flashing back to the invasion of Japan and how callous the Britannians were back then. It was hard to see Clovis acting just as callous as the Britannians who nearly killed Lelouch, Suzaku, and Nunnally during the invasion.

He didn't dare break eye contact with his brother but, considering the sounds of gunfire was getting closer to the command center, he knew he was running out of time before the final stage started. So he quickly asked the last question he had. "What do you know about my mother's death?" he asked.

"Only that Cornelia and Schneizel would know more," Clovis said.

Lelouch started, eyes wide. _Nellie and Schneizel know about my mother's death?_ He thought in shock and gritted his teeth. He resolved to question Schneizel and Cornelia as soon as he could about what happened to his mother. "Very well," he said and broke eye contact with his brother.

Clovis straightened and blinked, looking confused before he shook his head. "I'm sorry, brother, but I can't tell you why she's important," he said.

 _Hmm, so he doesn't remember the questioning. Best keep that in mind,_ Lelouch thought. "I know," he said and lifted his gun again.

Clovis's eyes went wide. "W...What? Lelouch, please, why are you doing this?" he pleaded.

Lelouch's face was a cold mask as he gazed at the half-brother he once cared about. "You killed innocent people for the sake of keeping that girl a secret. That's not something I can just let go," he said.

"Why should you care? They're just Elevens!" Clovis exclaimed. "You would really kill your own brother for a bunch of Elevens?!"

Lelouch said nothing, just took the safety off his gun, aware of the sound of rushing feet. He was out of time. "I desire to change the world, to ensure that there will come a time when what happened here will never happen again, and in order to do that, I understand that I will have to get my hands dirty," he said and pulled the trigger.

Just as the door opened.

Two _cracks_ sounded as two guns were fired simultaneously.

 **. . .**

Suzaku had been having a bad feeling from the moment Lelouch told him his plan and, when Lelouch told him that he felt like something was wrong, he practically flew back to the G1. He barely managed to turn the _Lancelot_ off before he was jumping out of the cockpit as the hatch opened, not even bothering with the access cable, and bolting for the G1. He didn't even notice whether the rest of the Royal Guard had joined back at the base or not; he was too focused on getting to his prince.

Something wasn't right. Lelouch had said that something was wrong and Lelouch was usually right about these kinds of things.

Besides, Suzaku had already nearly lost his prince twice in the past when he wasn't there to protect him, first when he was drugged and nearly kidnapped at Osaka and again when he was nearly killed by Nightfall at Sapporo.

Suzaku was not going to let something like that happen again.

He weaved his way among the soldiers as he neared the entrance to the G1 and bolted into it, surprised by the amount of damage that he saw. There were quite a few people on the ground, clutching at wounds, while others were crouched beneath desks or pressed against walls.

"Where's Prince Lelouch?" Suzaku asked.

"He said he was going to go speak to Prince Clovis, Sir Kururugi," one woman crouched under a desk said, "and then this guy...I don't know how he got in but Prince Clovis's men must have been lax in their guarding duties because he just waltzed right in. He went in the same direction Prince Lelouch went! The elevator at the end of the hall will take you to the floor where the command center is."

Swearing, Suzaku nodded and darted past the woman, heading straight for the elevator she had indicated.

It took him only a few minutes to get onto the next floor and, almost before the elevator doors finished opening, he was bolting down the hallway, stumbling when two gunshots sounded. Eyes widening, he started running as fast as he could, drawing his gun as he did so and praying his best friend and prince was all right.

He skidded to a halt and the door to the command center slid open as he approached it. He darted into the room, freezing dead near the door as he caught sight of the bloody scene.

Prince Clovis was slumped on his throne, eyes gazing sightlessly at the wall with a single bullet wound to his forehead.

Lelouch, on the other hand, was on the ground, blood pooling out of the bullet wound in his shoulder and half-opened eyes hazy with pain.

The terrorist in the room was running for the window and Suzaku pulled himself out of his shock to fire widely at the terrorist. It missed and the terrorist threw himself through the window of the command center, causing a shower of glass to rain down outside.

Swearing but letting the terrorist go—he had to see to his prince first and foremost—Suzaku holstered his gun and bolted to his friend's side, falling to his knees and pulling off the jacket he'd been wearing. He hadn't had time to change into his pilot suit so he was still in the disguise he'd worn when he and Lelouch had left the party at the Viceroy's Palace.

"Lelouch, stay with me," he said as he pressed the jacket against the wound to try to stop the bleeding, briefly noticing the blood was coming out the other side as well. He knew enough about medical stuff to know that if the bullet was still in his shoulder then Lelouch's life would be in more danger than if it went straight through.

"Here, I need you to put pressure on the wound. I'm going to call for help," Suzaku said.

Lelouch nodded slowly and hissed in pain as he pressed against the jacket in an attempt to staunch the bleeding while Suzaku fished out his radio, ignoring the blood that got on it. He turned it on. "This is Major Kururugi. I need a medical team to the command center now. Prince Lelouch is injured," he said.

" _We're on our way, Major Kururugi,_ " a female voice said and Suzaku, relieved, put the radio down and turned to Lelouch whose skin was a pasty white and eyes were bright with pain.

"Help's on the way," he said as he took over attempting to staunch the bleeding long enough for the medical team to get there.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: I really like doing these kinds of chapters, don't I? Cliffhanger ones I mean, even if it's not that bad this time**

 **Bakura: duh**

 **Blaze: shut up**

 **Suzaku: by the way, I haven't seen Luciano in a while. Where is he?**

 **Kallen: still falling**

 **Suzaku: _still_? It's been over six months!**

 **Blaze: that is what I like to call a bottomless hole**

 **Luciano: (still falling and eating popcorn)**

 **Suzaku: (peers over cliff's edge) how did you get popcorn?**

 **Luciano: (still falling) someone tossed it over the cliff a few days ago**

 **Suzaku: (sweatdrops) okay? (mutter) Why would someone throw popcorn over a cliff?**

 **Lelouch: by the way, where did you go last chapter?**

 **Blaze: raided the nearest candy factory**

 **Bakura: why didn't you invite me?!**

 **Blaze: you don't like candy that much**

 **Bakura: but I do like stealing!**

 **Blaze: want to come raid the chocolate factory with me?**

 **Bakura: hell yeah (walks off with Blaze to raid the chocolate factory)**

 **Suzaku: oh boy**

 **Lelouch: tell me about it. Anyway, Blaze would like you to know that the next chapter of _Fall Into Dusk_ will be, or has been posted, around the same time as this chapter. She also hopes that you enjoyed this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	34. The New Viceroy of Area 11

**I was going to update this on Halloween but I got home after midnight so that didn't work. But you get a late Halloween treat! My two CG stories are getting updated at once!**

 **Yup. You heard me right. I am updating** _ **Fall Into Dusk**_ **at the same time as this story.**

 **Anyway, thank you to** _ **Blacksword Zero, demedichi, Guest, harlequin320, DarkAeroSage, Artorius Divinus, Shadow-Shinobi666, OBSERVER01, DYnoJackal1, Doommajor (x2) Wisegirl12xx, B-Kira, anand891996, QuaintReticent, Scarease,**_ **and** _ **Shimmering-Sky**_ **for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome!**

 **Happy late Halloween everyone and I hope that you enjoy this chapter. Reviews are much appreciated, as usual.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _March 21, 2017_

 _Cairo, Outskirts of Area 18_

 _"Princess! They're overrunning our position!" Andreas Darlton called over the radio as Cornelia stabbed her jousting lance toward the irritatingly fast canine-like knightmare frame but the knightmare dodged out of the way. She scowled in fury as she thumbed on her headset to respond to Darlton's words._

 _"Pull back. Draw them toward the city's heart. We'll have more space to move there," she ordered, since most of her forces were concentrated in the south since that was where the first attack had come from. A full-out frontal assault was what the Liberators had used this time to attack Cornelia's forces and she was irritated, not just because she hadn't seen it coming but also because she wasn't_ winning.

 _It irritated her that she couldn't do what Schneizel and Lelouch have already done, defeat the damn Liberators. She was the Goddess of Victory and yet the Liberators were the only terrorist organization out there who'd managed to outwit her._

 _She couldn't let that happen again. She had to win. She couldn't afford to lose. She knew that Castor and Pollux had lost quite a bit of prestige when they lost to the Liberators twice and she knew that she couldn't let that happen. The Emperor would not look upon her favorably if she lost to the Liberators twice after all._

 _"My princess, communications with the defensive line has been lost. They weren't able to retreat in time," he Knight of Honor, Gilbert G.P. Guilford, called as he rammed his jousting lance into the side of a canine-like knightmare only to jump back to avoid those dreaded claws that could cut through metal._

 _A_ boom _sounded and Darlton called, "We've lost contact with Squad 3."_

 _"We need to retreat, my princess. We're losing too many of our men," Guilford said._

 _"I will not retreat like a dog with my tail between my legs," Cornelia growled in frustration as she, yanking out her assault rifle, shot forward and unleashed a barrage of bullets on the canine-like knightmare that was charging toward her. It swiftly dodged out of the way, the two assault rifles on its shoulders popping up and firing at her but she dodged out of the way. She withdrew her jousting lance again and shot forward, intent on spearing the canine-like knightmare through the factsphere._

 _Only for a canine-like knightmare to ram into her from the side, throwing her off her feet. She cried out as her Gloucester was sent tumbling to the ground. She smacked her head, hard, against the side of the cockpit and winced, gritting her teeth._

 _"My princess!" Guilford shouted and Cornelia, struggling to remain conscious, watched as Guilford launched his knightmare at the two canine-like knightmare and Darlton was quick to join him._

 _A third canine-like knightmare dodged around the two enemies that Guilford and Darlton were fighting and launched itself at Cornelia's Gloucester as she managed to get it to its feet. Those metal-cutting blades sank deep into Cornelia's Gloucester's factsphere, causing red warning signs to blare at the damage and Cornelia snarled as they dug deeper and pierced the Yggdrasil Drive._

Damn it! I have no choice! _Snarling out a curse, Cornelia yanked the ejection lever and the cockpit ejected from the Gloucester, sailing across the ground. The canine-like knightmare leapt away from the Gloucester in time to avoid it as it exploded, sending debris flying in all directions._

 _"My princess!" Guilford called worriedly._

 _"I ejected in time," Cornelia said, wincing as the cockpit crashed into the ground._

 _"Claudio! Edgar! Go retrieve Princess Cornelia and get out of here," Darlton ordered. "All forces. Retreat back to base. Now!"_

 _Cornelia, undoing the straps that kept her pinned to the cockpit, gritted her teeth, her long purple hair framing her face as she wiped away the beads of sweat on her forehead. She hated it. She hated that she had lost,_ again, _to the Liberators._

Damn it, _she thought in frustration as she climbed out of the cockpit and waited for two of her Glaston Knights to retrieve her._

 **. . .**

 **34**

 **The New Viceroy of Area 11**

 _March 22, 2017_

 _Medical Ward, Viceroy's Palace_

Suzaku read the article of what happened in Cairo, just outside of the newly established Area 18, to himself as he waited for Lelouch to wake up again. A day had gone by since the incident in the Shinjuku Ghetto, and since Prince Clovis was killed and Lelouch was injured, and things were starting to calm down somewhat. The terrorists in Shinjuku had fled, or gone to ground, and the ceasefire was preventing anyone else from getting hurt or killed. So far, nothing had been released about what actually happened, though Suzaku was sure that they wouldn't be able to keep it from the public for very long.

He shifted, wincing a little, as he turned the page in the newspaper. The bruise on his chest from when he'd been shot by Clovis's Royal Guard still ached but he really was grateful he'd been wearing a kevlar vest; he really did not want to get shot again.

"When did you start reading the newspaper?" Lelouch's voice asked and Suzaku, lowering the newspaper, turned to his friend, finding his amethyst eyes fixed on him. His shoulder was bandaged and, while his skin was still a little pale, he looked all right.

"My prince, are you all right?" Suzaku asked as he closed the newspaper and put it on the table next to the medical bed as Lelouch pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Just tired, though those painkillers the doctors gave me are still working because I don't feel anything in my shoulder," Lelouch mused, resting his back against the back of the medical bed. "So why were you reading the newspaper anyway?"

Suzaku shrugged, faintly embarrassed. "Boredom," he said. "Your sister faced off against the Liberators again at Cairo by the way."

"Which one?"

"Cornelia."

Lelouch hummed. "Did she win?"

Suzaku shook his head.

"Hmm, odd. She's not stupid. I wonder why she didn't notice the missing portions and put the pieces together like Schneizel and I did," Lelouch murmured thoughtfully.

Suzaku studied his friend, and prince, for a long moment, frowning as he recalled a lot of what happened the day before and his mind went back to the incident with Clovis's Royal Guard. He still didn't know, nor understand, how it was that Lelouch was able to command them to kill themselves, and for them to actually _listen._

"Just spit out whatever question you have, Suzaku," Lelouch said in exasperation.

Suzaku's lips thinned. "How did you command Prince Clovis's Royal Guard to kill themselves like that? I thought Royal Guards only obeyed the prince or princess they serve," he said.

Lelouch was silent for a long moment, his eyes thoughtful and calculating and wary. It was as if he was attempting to decide whether to tell Suzaku or not, which made Suzaku fell a bit upset. _Does he not trust me?_ He thought, studying his friend who was still deep in thought.

 _Do you trust him?_ An inner voice asked him and Suzaku wanted to say that he did, that he trusted Lelouch with his life, and yet it wasn't as if Suzaku wasn't keeping his own secrets from his best friend. Or, more or less, _a_ secret, one that Snows, at Hirosaki, knew and one that Suzaku just didn't feel comfortable telling anyone. He didn't know of how Lelouch would react if he learned about what he'd done.

"Do you trust me, Suzaku?" Lelouch asked finally, breaking Suzaku out of his thoughts.

"Of course I do, my prince," Suzaku said in an instant.

Lelouch turned to his friend, studying him with inquisitive eyes, lips curved into a frown. "Even if I tell you something that sounds like pure fiction and asked you to trust that I am telling you the truth?" he asked.

"What is this even about?" the Knight asked.

"You asked me how I got Clovis's Royal Guard to kill themselves and I will explain but I need to know that you will not think I'm crazy once I do," Lelouch said and, when Suzaku raised an eyebrow at his friend, added, "More crazy than you already think I am."

The Knight chuckled before he grew serious. "I'll reserve my judgment for after I know just what the hell happened yesterday," he said finally.

"Fair enough," Lelouch acknowledged and began to explain what happened.

Suzaku was considerably shocked that the green-haired girl, somehow, returned to life and gave Lelouch some sort of mind-control power and that was how Lelouch had been able to order Clovis's Royal Guard around as he had. It was hard to believe and Suzaku did, for a moment, think it was pure fiction until he recalled that his best friend never said or did anything without a reason. And what reason would there be to tell Suzaku such an outlandish story if there wasn't some truth to it? Lelouch also wasn't one to tell stories.

"It's...hard to believe," Suzaku said finally when Lelouch was finished. "Very hard and yet...I did see it happen before my very eyes. But why?"

"Why what?" Lelouch looked at him in bewilderment.

Suzaku frowned, folding his arms across his chest. "Why did you order them to kill themselves? Surely there could've been another way," he said.

Lelouch blinked at him, obviously a bit surprised by the question. "They were about to kill us, Suzaku," he said. "And they were soldiers. They knew what they were getting into when they were ordered to kill me, to kill a member of royalty and the Emperor's new favorite at that." His voice sounded half amused and half scornful when he said those last words.

"Still." Suzaku sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Suzaku, they would have killed us. I did what had to be done," Lelouch said firmly.

Suzaku held his friend's gaze for a moment, then nodded his assent. "Doesn't mean I have to like it," he said finally.

The door to the medical room opened before Lelouch could respond, and they both looked up as Nunnally was wheeled into the room by Adeline. Nunnally's large bluish-purple eyes immediately landed on her brother and relief shone in them. "Big Brother!" she cried.

"Nunnally, what are you doing here?" Lelouch asked bewildered.

"Nunnally wanted to see you and Margrave Gottwald told us that you were in here," Adeline explained, wheeling Nunnally over to the bed. Nunnally immediately grabbed Lelouch's hand and squeezed it as she held the hand up to her face, resting her cheek against it.

Lelouch gently stroked his little sister's cheek, a soft smile on his face. "I'm okay, Nunnally," he said.

"You're hurt," Nunnally whimpered, tears welling up in her eyes and Suzaku flinched when he saw them, looking away, feelings of guilt welling up inside him. Even if Lelouch assured him that it wasn't his fault, that he was just following orders, Suzaku still did blame himself a little for his prince getting hurt.

 _Three times already. Three times I haven't been with my prince and he's gotten hurt. What kind of Knight am I?_ He thought morosely.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Lelouch reassured Nunnally. "It'll be all right in no time."

"Oh I hope so," Nunnally said.

"And how are you today, Nunnally?"

"...Okay, I guess," Nunnally said softly, lowering Lelouch's hand and running circles over the back of it. "I...woke up again last night from nightmares and I still...can't seem to talk with the new kid Rai. I mean...he's nice and all but..." She trailed off.

"I understand. These things take time, Little Sister. It'll get better," Lelouch said reassuringly.

Nunnally nodded, still looking unhappy.

"Why don't you tell your big brother about what the Student Council did for you?" Adeline suggested.

Nunnally brightened up a bit. "That's right," she said. "This morning, Shirley noticed that I was feeling a bit gloomy and so she and the others decided to make me breakfast and they made me pancakes shaped like flowers and stars. Then Milly showed me a bunch of the pictures she'd taken over the past couple of years." She then giggled and added, "You look like a girl in a dress, Big Brother."

Lelouch went bright red and he started sputtering. "I thought I burned all of those pictures," he complained while Suzaku hid his laughter. "Shut up, Suzaku." Apparently, he hadn't hidden it that well.

Nunnally giggled, a small smile on her face and, while the distress was still there, it wasn't quite as prominent as it was earlier. "Rivalz and Adeline brought out the paints and such and I painted a couple of pictures too. One's for you, one's for Schneizel, one's for Euphie, one's for Cornelia, and one's for Clovis." She turned and reached for the backpack resting on the back of her wheelchair and Adeline moved to help her.

As they did that, Lelouch tensed and the smile was wiped from his face but he managed to relax and plaster it back on by the time Nunnally turned to him again, holding up one of the pictures that she'd painted. Suzaku studied his friend, wondering why his friend had tensed at the mention of Clovis's name.

"This one's for you," Nunnally said. "I'm hoping to give Brother Clovis's his in a bit."

And then Suzaku realized why Lelouch had tensed at the mention of Clovis's name as he, too, recalled what he'd witnessed in the command center at the Shinjuku Ghetto. _No wonder he reacted that way. Nunnally doesn't know about what happened to Clovis,_ he thought.

Lelouch took the picture but didn't look at it, seeming trying to come up with what to say.

Nunnally noticed that something was wrong. "What's wrong, Big Brother?" she asked, taking Lelouch's hand in hers. Lelouch handed the picture to Suzaku and clasped both of his hands around Nunnally's, a soft somber look on his face.

"The news hasn't been released to the public yet, Nunnally, but...I have some bad news," he said softly.

Nunnally gazed at him with large eyes. "What is it?" she asked.

Lelouch's jaw clenched but he relaxed a moment later. "There was a conflict in the Shinjuku Ghetto, Nunnally, and Clovis was commanding the operation. When it looked like he was losing, I helped out with my Royal Guard," he said, gently squeezing his little sister's hands and then releasing them as he added, "But, somehow, no one knows how, a terrorist managed to get into the G1 while I was talking with Clovis and..." He trailed off as Nunnally's eyes went wide, tears appearing in their depths.

"Brother Clovis?" she whispered.

"I'm sorry, Nunnally. He shot me first and then shot Clovis. I couldn't help him," Lelouch said.

Nunnally started crying and Lelouch, forcing himself out of his bed, wrapped his arms around his little sister in an awkward, due to his position, hug. "Why? Why did he…? Why?" she sobbed.

"Shh, I don't know, Little Sister, I don't know," Lelouch murmured, gently stroking his little sister's hair with the hand that didn't have an IV sticking out of it.

Suzaku left them to their private sibling moment and turned to look at the picture Nunnally had painted; it was of a rather crudely drawn tree with pink flowers dotting the branches with a stream winding its way past it. Suzaku, with a jolt, recalled that this was how he'd described what the garden of the Kururugi Shrine looked like when Nunnally had asked him.

 _She still remembers that?_ He thought in surprise.

Eventually, Nunnally managed to stop crying and Lelouch sat back, wincing as he did so. "Think the painkillers are wearing off," he murmured.

"I can go get a doctor if you want, Your Highness," Adeline said.

"If you would, please," Lelouch said.

Adeline bowed and left the room.

Nunnally wiped the tears from her eyes. "It's so hard to believe that he's gone," she said softly. "I mean, it was just yesterday morning that I was talking to him and now..."

"I know," Lelouch said, stroking his little sister's hair. "I know."

Nunnally sniffed. "Brother Clovis...he wouldn't want me to be sad," she said softly, turning her bluish-purple eyes to Lelouch. "I'll miss him but...he wouldn't want me to be sad."

"He wouldn't. He'd probably want you to remember all the good things from when he was alive," Lelouch said.

Nunnally nodded in agreement and smiled softly. "Yeah." She paused and added, "Are you going to look at your picture?" It was clear that she wanted to change the subject, to no longer have to think about what happened to her elder half-brother.

"Of course. I'm sure it's beautiful," Lelouch said with a faint smile as he took the picture that Suzaku was holding and glanced at it, recognition crossing his eyes. "The Kururugi Shrine..."

Nunnally smiled softly, sadly. "Yeah. I remembered when Suzaku described what the garden outside the shrine looked like so I painted it. Does it look all right?" she asked hopefully.

"It looks beautiful, Nunnally," Lelouch said. "Looks almost exactly like I remember it."

While Suzaku was sure that Lelouch wasn't telling the complete truth, the beaming smile that crossed Nunnally's face was well-worth Lelouch's partial lie.

 **. . .**

 _Throne Room, Imperial Palace, Pendragon_

Cornelia li Britannia strode into the empty throne room, head held high despite the weight of her defeat still resting heavily on her shoulders. Her cloak billowed about her feet as she moved, the herald announcing her arrival, and her boots clicked against the polished wooden floor. As she walked, her thoughts drifted to Area 11 and, most importantly, the news that she'd just received from Schneizel; Clovis had been killed and Lelouch had been injured in a terrorist problem that had arisen quite suddenly.

She didn't know how it happened but she was not happy to say the least. One of her dear half-brothers was dead and the half-brother that she had just gotten back a year ago had been injured. Yes, she wasn't happy but, at least, Schneizel had spoken to Lelouch and learned that he was making a full recovery so that was good.

She honestly wasn't sure how she was going to break the news about Clovis to Euphie.

As it was, she wondered just how Nunnally had handled the news since she was positive Lelouch wouldn't let Nunnally find out by the media when the media made the news public.

Though that made her wonder just why the news hadn't been made public yet.

Pushing those thoughts out of her head, since she had something more important to worry about—that was her meeting with the Emperor to discuss her recent loss against the Liberators at Cairo—Cornelia finished the trek to the throne and knelt down. "Your Majesty," she said respectfully as she lowered her head.

"Cornelia," Emperor Charles zi Britannia's voice said. When she was a little girl growing up, Cornelia always attributed her father's voice to thunder since it was always so loud. As she grew older, she'd gotten used to it but, now, she could hear the thunderous qualities that had scared her when she was growing up.

"Your altercation with the Liberators in Cairo was...rather disappointing," Charles went on. "Of all people, I would have thought the Goddess of Victory would be able to handle the Liberators, especially since she's gone against them twice, and yet that is not what happened. Care to explain?"

Cornelia bit her lip but started speaking. "They did not use the same method that they used against me the last time that I fought against them, You Majesty, and it took my forces by surprise. I have no excuses," she said. She didn't. She'd lost; no matter what she threw at the Liberators, it hadn't been enough and she nearly lost an entire regiment as a result.

Charles hummed and Cornelia heard him stand up. "You failed to defeat the Liberators, despite knowing what it is you were facing; therefore, I am reassigning you. You may take the Glaston Knights with you but you are to be reassigned to Area 11. You will be the new Sub-Viceroy of Area 11 and, perhaps, you may use your battle prowess to aid the Demon Prince in his task of eradicating the terrorist threat in Area 11, supposing he needs it as that will be for him to decide."

Cornelia resisted the urge to wince, surprise flooding him as she realized what the Emperor was saying. While he didn't outright say it, he was basically stating that Cornelia was to be subordinate to her younger half-brother. But that brought about another question...

"Your Majesty, you said I would be _Sub_ -Viceroy of Area 11. Who will be the new Viceroy?"

"The current Sub-Viceroy of course," the Emperor said calmly.

 **. . .**

 _Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11_

Tadashi made his way down the street, heading toward the building Prince Lelouch had told him his little brother was hiding out in. At his side walked Rayne and Lila, whom Lelouch had told to go with him just to be safe, and they were scanning the area, looking around for any sign of terrorists. The ghetto was in poor shape; buildings were crumbling, bodies still littered the street—though Lelouch had ordered the Black Knights to give the people killed in the battle proper burials and Tadashi could see some of them walking around, retrieving the bodies—and debris covered the ground.

"Wow, still hard to believe what happened," Rayne said, gazing around with sadness in her eyes.

"Yeah," Lila murmured, shivering as she looked away from the bodies. Tadashi recalled that, while Lila had witnessed battle before since she graduated from basic training, she'd never actually seen so many civilian causalities. That was because they'd been working for Lelouch and Lelouch tried to avoid civilian causalities.

Tadashi had witnessed massacres before and walking down the streets of Shinjuku brought back memories of the vicious attack on Sapporo over a year ago.

Gritting his teeth and shoving the memory away, he moved quicker, wanting to get to his brother and reassure himself that his brother was all right. And also find out just where their father was.

They neared the building and Tadashi pushed open the door, hearing it creak as it swung open, and stepped into the building. He gazed around the dark building, pulling out a flashlight and turning it on, casting the beam of light around the decrepit living room, searching for where his brother might have hidden himself. He made his way deeper into the room. "Fuyuki?" he called, his voice echoing in the empty house.

Silence greeted him for a moment before Tadashi saw something stir in the corner and he turned his light to it, relief flooding him when he spotted his brother shielding his eyes from the bright light. "Oh thank God!" he said and darted over. Lelouch had said that his brother was alive but seeing his brother alive made all the worry he'd been feeling wash away.

He knelt beside his brother. "Are you okay? Hurt anywhere? What happened? Where's Dad?" he asked rapidly.

Fuyuki's eyes welled up with tears and he threw his arms around Tadashi's neck, burying his face into the burnt-orange-haired young man's chest, choked sobs escaping his lips. Tadashi blinked but curled his arms around his brother in an awkward hug; they have never been ones for physical affection but they did hug occasionally, such as on the anniversary of their mother's death.

"Hey, it's okay, bro, it's okay,." he said as soothingly as he could.

Fuyuki sobbed and pulled back, gazing at Tadashi with teary eyes. "Dad...he...he..." he trailed off and tears fell from his eyes again.

"What happened to Dad?" Tadashi asked, a bad feeling starting to go through him.

"He's...he's dead," Fuyuki whispered. "B...Britannia killed him!" He burst out crying again and Tadashi, teeth gritting, drew his brother closer to him, rubbing his back. He had seen the bodies that lay strewn across the bloodstained streets and many of them were Elevens but had simply thought that they'd been killed by the terrorists before he and the rest of the Royal Guard had managed to help the 1st Regiment get the terrorists' attention. And yet…

 _Did the 1_ _st_ _Regiment cause some of those civilian causalities? Did they kill my father?_

Tadashi didn't know but it was likely because he and his fellow Royal Guard members sure as hell didn't.

"He didn't do anything wrong and they killed him," Fuyuki whispered.

"I know," Tadashi murmured, "but we knew that this could happen. Not everyone were like those soldiers that saved us at Sapporo, y'know? C'mon, little bro, let's go."

"Where am I gonna go?" Fuyuki said. "I don't...I don't wanna go home."

"Hey, don't worry 'bout that. We'll figure things out. I ain't gonna let nothing happen to ya," Tadashi said and gently helped Fuyuki to his feet. While he said that to, more or less, reassure his little brother, Fuyuki's question was a good one. Just where could he go?

Tadashi decided that getting him out of the Shinjuku Ghetto would be best for now. And, as he thought about it, he remembered that young man that his father had become friends with who lived on the edge of the ghetto. Maybe he would be willing to watch Fuyuki for the time being. "Hey, maybe ya can go with Hisoka for a while."

Fuyuki sniffed and nodded. "Y...Yeah, I...I guess but...but what about Dad?"

"Prince Lelouch has ordered that all the causalities be given a proper burial," Rayne said.

Fuyuki smiled a little, though his dark gray eyes were still sad. "Prince Lelouch really isn't like the media portrays him," he said as he followed Tadashi as he guided him out of the abandoned building.

 **. . .**

 _March 23, 2017_

 _Viceroy's Palace, Area 11_

"Jeremiah!"

Jeremiah turned to find Kewell walking over to join him, blue eyes narrowed as he came to a stop next to the turquoise-haired young man. "What can I do for you, Kewell?" he said. He was just on his way to the Viceroy's Office to speak with Prince Lelouch; while he was still recovering from the bullet wound in his shoulder, Prince Lelouch was forced to step in as the Interim Viceroy due to his position as Sub-Viceroy until the new one was announced. In a sense, he was basically attempting to calm the chaos that was raging in the settlement following the battle in the Shinjuku Ghetto and Prince Clovis's assassination, which Lelouch had announced that morning when he informed the settlement that he was taking over as Interim Viceroy, and Jeremiah was trying to help him to the best of his ability.

"The situation in the settlement. It's getting worse," Kewell said.

"Yes, I know. And?"

"Haven't you considered that we need to appease the masses? Has any headway been made in finding the assassin?"

"No. Sir Kururugi said that the assassin leapt out of the window when he arrived."

"And he didn't go after him?" Kewell's brows crinkled in disbelief.

"Sir Kururugi is Prince Lelouch's Knight of Honor. The prince was his first priority," Jeremiah said. Even if he still didn't quite approve of Prince Lelouch's decision, there was no denying that Kururugi did take his duties extremely seriously, even more so when they were in public.

Kewell snorted. "I still can't believe the prince chose a Number to be his Knight. But that's not important. What is important is that we need to stop the chaos. If the assassin managed to escape then we should find a scapegoat to appease the public," he said. "And I have just the one; one of the only Eleven survivors that was last seen pretty close to the G1 Base. We can use him."

Jeremiah narrowed his eyes. "A civilian? His Highness would never approve of using a civilian like this," he said.

Kewell narrowed his eyes. "The prince has much on his mind at the moment, I'm sure, Jeremiah. Perhaps it would be best if we handled this matter ourselves," he said.

"He is the Interim Viceroy. We can't just do this behind his back. We must speak about it with him and I have no doubt he will not approve of your plan," Jeremiah said.

"And just how does he expect to handle this matter then?" Kewell demanded. "There will be riots in the streets if the Viceroy's killer, or a scapegoat in lieu of the Viceroy's real killer, isn't brought to justice. We need to do this."

"Kewell, you will do nothing unless His Highness says otherwise," Jeremiah snapped.

Kewell's lips twisted in a scowl. "Fine," he said, turned on his heel and strode off, back taut with fury.

Jeremiah watched him go and, making a mental note to contact Villetta and have her keep an eye on Kewell before he did something rash, turned around and began walking toward the Viceroy's Office again.

 **. . .**

 _Viceroy's Office, Viceroy's Palace_

Lelouch rested his forehead against the large glass windows of the Viceroy's Office, eyes closed as he took a few deep breaths to quench the nausea that was welling up within him while waving away Suzaku's concerned query with his good arm, since his other was in a sling again. Ever since the day before, when he'd been forced to tell Nunnally about the death of their elder half-brother, Lelouch had been trying to fight off the guilt. It wasn't as if this was the first time that he'd ever killed anyone, people had died during the engagements at Osaka, Sapporo, Hirosaki, and Akita after all—and he had been the one who killed Snows when Snows was trying to kill Suzaku—but this time, it was different.

This time, it was the elder half-brother that was one of only two that Lelouch had truly cared about.

This time, it was a half-sibling that _Nunnally_ had become close to.

And seeing Nunnally cry…

 _I'm sorry, Nunnally, but Clovis wasn't the brother that you and I knew, that you'd become close to. What he did to Shinjuku and what he tried to do to me is evidence of that,_ he thought but hadn't told Nunnally because, doing so, he would have to admit what he did. He didn't like lying to his little sister but he couldn't bear to see what Nunnally's reaction would be if she found out that the true killer of Clovis was her very own big brother.

Again, guilt and nausea rolled deep within him and Lelouch took another deep breath, a faint smile crossing his lips. "Demon Prince indeed," he murmured to himself. "Demon Prince with a heart, I suppose." He chuckled bitterly, his eyes still closed.

"My prince?" Suzaku said in concern again.

"I'm fine, Suzaku," Lelouch said, opening his eyes once he'd calmed his nausea down and pushed the guilt away, constantly reminding himself that he had done what needed to be done. Adopting an apathetic mask, he turned and walked back to the desk just as the door swung open.

"Your Highness," Jeremiah greeted him with a bow.

"Jeremiah, how are things going with the search for the assassin?" Lelouch asked. He'd left Jeremiah in charge of that, after insuring that the assassination could not be traced back to him—there was a reason he'd used that terrorist he'd ordered to obey his every command in the way that he had, even if getting shot again hurt like hell.

"Nothing, Your Highness," Jeremiah said with a grimace. "Whoever Sir Kururugi had seen must have gone to ground and I have found no one matching Sir Kururugi's description. We are still looking, however."

Lelouch hummed. _No surprise there. That had been my final order to that terrorist and I have no doubt Kallen and her terrorist friends have gone to ground too. Hmm, speaking of Kallen, that's another problem that I am going to have to tackle._ He did not like the idea of having a terrorist anywhere near Nunnally, not after what happened with Tara, but he would take into account the fact that Kallen had been the one to warn Nunnally before the first assassination attempt.

And he still had to interrogate Tara. Now that he had Geass, he was planning on using it to get the answers that he still wanted, about Tara's own Geass power and why she went after Nunnally.

For now, though, he had to focus on the matter at hand. "For now, just keep searching," he said out loud. He had to make it seem, to the public anyway, that he was doing his part in finding his half-brother's assassin after all.

"Yes, Your Highness. I did find out something else though."

"Oh? What would that be?"

"I found the identity of the group that attacked the outskirts of the settlement that the 1st Regiment managed to drive away. When I asked some members of the 1st Regiment, they informed me that the terrorists came from the Saitama Ghetto. And the Saitama Ghetto, I know, is the home to the Yamato Alliance."

Lelouch hummed, eyes narrowed in thought. _Was it possible that the Yamato Alliance was responsible for both attacks?_ He thought.

 **. . .**

 _Shinjuku Ghetto, Area 11_

Kewell Soresi made his way down the street, ignoring the various members of the Black Knights that were roaming around, gathering the bodies of the deceased. Even if most of them were Elevens, Prince Lelouch still insisted that they be given a proper burial The prince was still young and his sympathy toward the Elevens was often overlooked because of his fearsome reputation; however, in light of recent events, it was clear that the prince was too busy with running the country for the time being to actually track down the assassin.

And, thus, the public were getting restless awaiting for justice to be served.

Kewell didn't understand why Jeremiah didn't seem to understand that. Jeremiah had changed since the Eleventh Prince returned to the Royal Family and it irked Kewell that Jeremiah had obviously forgotten what it meant to be a purist. And to be loyal to a half-commoner at that! It was ridiculous.

Kewell may not like that Prince Lelouch was half-commoner but there was no denying that the prince had accomplished what Kewell never expected him to accomplish in his victory at Sapporo. To a degree, Kewell respected the Demon Prince but the boy was still young and far too sympathetic toward the Elevens, the very same group of people that was responsible for his elder half-brother's murder.

So Kewell was doing the prince a good service in ensuring that the Elevens knew their place and, in lieu of the real killer, someone would get punished for what happened to Prince Clovis.

He and the three purists that were behind him, Villetta stood at his side in confusion since Kewell hadn't told he about what he was doing, came to a stop in front of a house. He recalled that Eleven boy that was part of Prince Lelouch's Royal Guard had guided the Eleven there the day before.

"Why are we here, Kewell? Villetta asked, narrowing her golden eyes.

"Helping His Highness," Kewell said, not letting on that he hadn't, exactly, been given permission to do this but he was sure the prince would understand the necessity of having a scapegoat before the chaos got worse. He moved toward the door and knocked on it.

The door opened and an Eleven man opened it. "Um, can I help you?" he said.

"Yes, we're here for Fuyuki Akiyama," Kewell said calmly.

"Why?"

"At the moment, that is not for you to know. Where is he?"

"Hisoka? Is something wrong?" A young boy that couldn't be older than fifteen asked as he came to the elder man's side, his dirty blonde hair framing his quietly depressed face.

"Are you Fuyuki Akiyama?" Kewell asked.

"Um, yeah, what's this about?" Fuyuki asked.

Kewell stepped forward and stated firmly, "Fuyuki Akiyama, you are hereby under arrest for the murder of Prince Clovis la Britannia and the attempted murder of Prince Lelouch vi Britannia."

 **. . .**

Off to the side, watching the entire scene, Inoue narrowed her eyes, her grip tightening on her gun as she watched the poor boy, his dark gray eyes wide with shock as he tried vainly to protest his innocence. _Why? Why would they arrest a civilian for what happened?_ She thought.

Inoue was only there because she actually lived nearby and had gone back to her rundown apartment to get changed and also see if she could find any traces of where Yoshida went, or if he had ended up as one of the causalities. While she had found Yoshida, unconscious in an alley with, for some odd reason, glass embedded in his arm, she had not been expecting to find one of the few civilians to survive the massacre being arrested.

"C'mon, Yoshida, let's get back," Inoue said, tucking her gun away. _Michal and Reyes will wanna know about this,_ she thought.

The two of them darted off, Yoshida nursing his arm which was still bleeding a little from the glass shards, and Inoue glanced at him. "What happened?" she asked.

"I...honestly don't remember," Yoshida said in bewilderment, looking at his arm.

Inoue frowned. "Maybe you hit your head or something?" she suggested.

"Maybe."

The two reached the temporary base that Ohgi had claimed the day before and Inoue noticed that all of the members of the Kozuki Resistance, minus Kallen, were there as were Michal, Reyes, Susumu, a tall, dark-green-haired young man, and Taichi, a brown-haired young man.

"Everything okay?" Sugiyama asked as Inoue guided Yoshida over to a chair, ordering him to sit down and, tracking down a pair of tweezers and a roll of bandages, began to slowly remove the shards of glass from her friend's arm.

"Not really," she said and explained what happened.

"What?! Why those Britannian bastards!" Tamaki shouted.

"They're blaming a _civilian_ for what happened to Prince Clovis and Prince Lelouch?" Ohgi said in shock.

"They must not have been able to find who really did it but to use a _civilian_..." Michal shook his head, disgust marring his features and also confusion. "But I don't understand. Prince Lelouch went out of his way to have his men avoid civilian causalities so why would he use a civilian as a scapegoat like this? It just doesn't make any sense."

"What do we do?" Minami asked.

"Is there anything we can do, Michal?" Susumu asked, frowning in concern.

Michal's lips pressed together, eyes narrowed in thought.

"What if we claimed credit for it?" Reyes suddenly suggested, causing everyone to look at him. "The Liberators, I mean. Prince Clovis was the one responsible for the massacre so it wouldn't exactly be out of character that we'd take out an enemy commander who is far from innocent."

Michal frowned. "I'll have to talk with Unity about this," he said. "I should also get into contact with our spy. She might be able to find out if the prince had anything to do with this or if his men were acting on their own."

 **. . .**

 _Viceroy's Office, Viceroy's Palace_

Lelouch was going through the information he had on the Yamato Alliance when a knock sounded on his door. Lifting his head, he called, "come in!" and watched as Villetta Nu, her silver hair swinging behind her, strode into the room and saluted.

"Your Highness," she greeted him.

"And what brings you here, Major Nu?" Lelouch asked, putting down the paper he'd been reading.

Villetta lowered her hand. "Your Highness, is the investigation into who assassinated Prince Clovis still going on?" she asked.

Lelouch blinked, frowning in confusion. "Yes, it is. Why do you ask?"

"Because Lieutenant Colonel Soresi arrested someone earlier for the assassination of Prince Clovis, Your Highness," Villetta said.

"What?" _That's not possible._ "Who?"

"A boy by the name of Fuyuki Akiyama, Your Highness."

" _What?!_ " Tadashi shouted, jumping to his feet, dark-gray eyes flashing with shock and anger. "They arrested my brother? He didn't do nothing! He was hiding in that building the entire time, on Prince Lelouch's orders, for crying out loud!"

"Warrant Officer Akiyama, calm down now," Lelouch said firmly, standing up.

"But..."

"Warrant Officer, let me handle this. Your brother won't be charged for a crime that he did not commit. I will, personally, see to his release," Lelouch said, jaw clenched as he strode around the desk and toward the door. "Where are they now?"

"The boy's in interrogation now, Your Highness," Villetta said.

"Very well." Lelouch stormed out of the office, furious that Soresi would actually use an innocent _civilian_ as a scapegoat, because that was what the boy was, and _behind his back at that!_

Suzaku fell into step beside him as the rest of his Royal Guard filed out after him, Jeremiah was shaking his head and muttering under his breath, as they walked.

 **. . .**

 _Interrogation Chamber, Tokyo Military Base_

"I didn't do nothing wrong," Fuyuki cried. "I already told you where I was! Prince Lelouch, himself, ordered me to hide in an abandoned building and play dead should the terrorists stop by and that's what I did 'till my brother found me."

"We have evidence that suggests otherwise," Kewell said coolly.

"Then it's false! I didn't do it! I have a damn alibi. Just ask Prince Lelouch himself!" Fuyuki cried out as one of the purists next to him struck him hard across the face and Kewell's eyes narrowed. He just needed the boy to take the fall, to confess but he was obviously going to be stubborn.

"You're lying. Why would Prince Lelouch associate with an Eleven?" Kewell said.

"He saved my life when a _Britannian soldier_ tried to kill me," Fuyuki spat and cried out again when he was punched in the face by the purist.

"There you go with the lies again," Kewell said. _Damn, he's stubborn,_ he thought.

Fuyuki, ignoring that, added, "And his Knight's an Eleven. If that's not associating with Elevens, I don't know what is."

Kewell's lips twitched because the brat did have a point but he ignored that as the same purist punched him hard in the side, knocking him out of his chair. "You would be better off admitting to your crime. It will mean the difference between a life sentence or execution," he said.

" _Fuck you, you bastard!_ I'm innocent," Fuyuki shouted, the first half of his sentence in the Eleven's banned language but the rest in Britannian. He cried out, again, when the same purist kicked him in the side.

The door to the interrogation chamber slammed open at that moment.

"What the hell is going on here?" Prince Lelouch's voice snarled and Kewell, standing up quickly, turned with a salute as did the rest of the purists.

"Your Highness, I was just..." Kewell began.

"Save it, Lieutenant Colonel," Prince Lelouch cut him off. "Major Nu explained what you did, without my consent. The boy you have arrested is innocent and I will not have you attempt to use an innocent civilian as a scapegoat because you are unable to find the true culprit behind my brother's murder. Warrant Officer Akiyama, release the boy now."

The burnt-orange-haired Eleven didn't need to be told twice as he darted around Prince Lelouch and over to the other boy's side, kneeling down beside him. "It's okay, little brother. I'll have ya outta this in a jiffy," he said as he started to work on removing the younger boy's restraints.

"I will deal with your punishment for going behind my back and undermining my authority later. For now, you are all dismissed," Prince Lelouch said coolly, his expression dark and his eyes like amethyst icicles.

Kewell, jaw clenching, saluted. "Yes, Your Highness," he said before he and the rest of the purists filed out of the room.

 **. . .**

After Kewell left, Tadashi looked up from where he was helping his brother into a sitting position. "What will happen to him?" he asked, slinging his arm around his little brother's shoulder as the smaller boy slowly got to his feet, wincing as he moved.

"I'll deal with it. It seems they treated you rather roughly, Mr. Akiyama," Lelouch said, turning to Fuyuki who was leaning against Tadashi, face tight and eyes glittering with pain. "Warrant Officer, take him to the medical ward. Lieutenant Moore, go with him to ensure that Mr. Akiyama gets the proper medical care."

Tadashi grimaced because he knew that, because they were in the middle of a military base that was run primarily by Britannians, and Britannians who disliked Elevens, that was necessary. Tadashi has always known that the number of Britannians who were like Lelouch or the rest of Lelouch's Royal Guard, excluding Jeremiah, was very small.

"C'mon, Fuyuki, let's go," he said and guided his brother out of the interrogation room. Lila moved to his side and the three of them made their way down the corridor toward the elevator.

Fuyuki lifted his head to look at Lila. "Is this one of your friends?" he asked.

"Yeah, this is Lila. Lila, my brother Fuyuki," Tadashi said.

"It's nice to meet you," Lila said with a slight incline of her head.

Fuyuki leaned closer to Tadashi and whispered, "Wow, she's pretty."

"Yeah, she is," Tadashi said with a faint blush reddening his cheeks. Lila, overhearing Fuyuki, also blushed a little and looked away.

"Ah, let's get to the medical ward," she said quickly, sounding a bit flustered, much like she had when she'd comforted Tadashi on the roof back in Sapporo after he'd fired that shot that killed a terrorist who was as young as them. His lips quirked but he said nothing as he and Fuyuki followed the blonde girl into the elevator.

They rode it in silence to one of the upper floors until Fuyuki broke it. "I just don't understand. Why would they think I did that to Prince Clovis? And why would I harm Prince Lelouch? He saved my life," he said in confusion and turned to Tadashi. "Prince Lelouch said that they were going to use me as a scapegoat. But why?"

Tadashi sighed. "I dunno, little bro," he said because he honestly didn't. Well, not entirely anyway. He knew that the Britannian military hadn't found who assassinated Prince Clovis and harmed Prince Lelouch, Jeremiah had made that clear and had also made it clear that the terrorist had likely gone to ground. So he suspected that played a part in why Fuyuki had been arrested, even if he wasn't a member of the military, but he still couldn't figure out the real reason why.

 _Maybe Lelouch will know. I can ask him anyway,_ he thought as they left the elevator and began walking to the medical ward.

 **. . .**

 _Viceroy's Office, Viceroy's Palace_

Dimitri was in the midst of searching through the various articles, reports, and various other pieces of information that he'd managed to obtain about recent events when something popped up. Pulling up the tab on which he'd kept the news site, which updated its database constantly with new news reports around the world, he blinked in surprise by what had appeared. He opened the article, narrowing his eyes as he quietly read the headline, a bit surprised when he read just who the article was written by as well:

 _The Liberators Strike Back! Prince Clovis's Assassin Revealed_

 _By Ella Weitz_

 _TOKYO SETTLEMENT, AREA 11—On March 21, 2017, a terrorist attack in the Shinjuku Ghetto, just outside of the Tokyo Settlement, occurred. While the details of the battle are unclear, one thing is clear; Prince Clovis la Britannia, Third Prince and Viceroy of Area 11, was found dead in the command center of his G1 Base in the wake of the attack, assassinated at the hands of a terrorist. Though no one knows just how the terrorist managed to get into the base, many blame it on the incompetence of the 1_ _st_ _Regiment who remained behind to guard Prince Clovis, we have received news of just who was responsible for the assassination. It was none other than the Liberators themselves._

 _The Liberators is a well-known, very powerful, and very large terrorist organization who was known for having an impressive streak of victories against Britannia until the White Prince of Britannia, Schneizel el Britannia, and the Demon Prince of Britannia, Lelouch vi Britannia, handed them back-to-back defeats. It should not surprise many that the Liberators would seek revenge for these losses; so why was it that Prince Clovis was killed and Prince Lelouch, who had been injured in the fight in the G1 that led to the Third Prince's death, was spared?_

 _The Liberators' mysterious leader, a man simply known by the nickname Unity, had this to say in the video clip he had sent to the media that revealed his organization's part in Prince Clovis's assassination:_

 _"Prince Clovis la Britannia, as you well know, was assassinated on the afternoon of March 21, 2017, and it was by our hand. The Liberators stand with those who seek freedom from the tyrannical oppression of the Holy Empire of Britannia but we do not stand by those who harm the innocent for no reason. That is exactly what Prince Clovis did. Even though the terrorists, a radical group known as the Yamato Alliance, were the ones he was fighting against from the moment they bombed the edge of the settlement and killed many innocents, Prince Clovis had his men turn their fire onto the civilians themselves. Men, women, and children were gunned down at the behest of the Third Prince for no reason other than they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Therefore, my Liberators took matters into their own hands. We assassinated Prince Clovis for the atrocity that he committed in the Shinjuku Ghetto. The Demon Prince, who was present at the time of the assassination, was spared for one reason only. He did not partake in the vicious assault on the civilians of the Shinjuku Ghetto, instead focusing his men's efforts on fighting off the Yamato Alliance and that is something I can respect. Prince Clovis, however, did what he did for no other reason than his own hurt pride and that is something that I will not tolerate. The Liberators will continue to defend the innocent and defend those who cannot fight for themselves just as we will continue to show respect toward those who are willing to fight us head-on and will not use civilians to further their own selfish agendas."_

 _The Liberators, having remained hidden since their disastrous defeat at the hands of the Demon Prince at Sapporo, have made their statement known to the world. They remain a powerful organization and their actions here, with the assassination of Prince Clovis, have clearly revealed that they are not defeated yet._

 _No word yet on how Interim Viceroy of Area 11, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, is responding to this public confession._

 _When were you going to tell me that you'd been promoted out of intern, Ella?_ Dimitri thought. Granted he'd been busy since he last spoke with Ella at Aomori so he supposed that was why. He pushed the thought aside and refocused on the matter at hand.

"Your Highness?" he said, lifting his head from the article to look toward the prince who was resting his chin on his palm, glaring at the computer screen in front of him, his lips twisted into a slight scowl.

"Yes, Dimitri?" he said, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"You read it too?"

"Yes. It seems the Liberators have decided to make their move after all, though whether they are truly behind my half-brother's assassination or are just taking credit for something someone else did, I do not yet know," Prince Lelouch said, his lips pressed together in a thin line and eyes narrowed in thought. "I will have to speak to the public in response to this confession soon. Jeremiah!"

"Yes, Your Highness?" Jeremiah said.

"Contact Diethard Ried. He did well in broadcasting the Battle of Sapporo as well as my Knight's Knighting Ceremony so I will have him broadcast my response to the Liberators' leader's words," Prince Lelouch said.

"Yes, Your Highness." Jeremiah pulled out his phone and walked out of the office, resting his phone against his ear as he did so.

Prince Lelouch leaned back against his seat, his eyes once again on the screen, brow furrowed slightly.

It was late afternoon. The sun was slowly ascending down to the horizon, casting shadows into the office as it drifted into silence for several long minutes.

"So can I ask you something, or, er, a couple of things actually?" Tadashi said, breaking the silence.

Prince Lelouch glanced toward him. "What is it?" he said.

"Well, first off, what ever happened to Lieutenant Colonel Soresi and the others with him?" Tadashi asked since he had still been in the medical ward with his younger brother when Soresi and his men had been called into the office for their punishment. Dimitri had to admit he was thankful that he hadn't been the one to get on the prince's bad side.

The prince turned his gaze back to the screen, scrolling through it a bit as he said, "They were stripped of their rank, demoted back down to an ordinary soldier, and the purist faction that they were part of was disbanded. Major Nu was the only one to be spared because she was the one who brought their insubordination to my attention. I would have court martialed them but I figured demotion would be a much better punishment. If they step out of line again, though, I will not be so lenient." His voice darkened just a bit at that but he cleared it up as he added, "How is your brother?"

"Still a bit shaken but he's fine. I walked him back to Hisoka's earlier. He'll be fine. He's a strong kid," Tadashi said.

Prince Lelouch nodded. "And what was that other thing you wished to ask me?" he said.

Tadashi hesitated, then asked, "Why did they use Fuyuki? I mean, you said that he was being used as a scapegoat but why…?" He trailed off.

The prince was silent for a long moment. "It was convenient for them. When in doubt, blame the Numbers. It's been done many times in the past so why wouldn't they do it now?" he said.

"That's wrong though," Suzaku objected. "Fuyuki was innocent and a civilian."

"I never said it was right, Suzaku, I just said that it's been done many times so it's not that big of a surprise that they would do it again since they weren't able to find the real assassin," Prince Lelouch said and went back to scrolling through whatever was on his computer screen.

Dimitri returned his attention to his computer, minimizing the tab with the news article on it and going back to examining the reports he'd obtained. A few of them were messages that he intercepted sent among the various military officials throughout Area 11; Prince Lelouch had asked him to keep an eye on that to ensure that no one else did what Prince Clovis and the 1st Regiment did in not informing him of a terrorist threat.

One such message was a new one though and Dimitri pulled it up when he noticed it was addressed directly to the prince but was encrypted. He narrowed his eyes since the encryption made it impossible to see just where the message came from, at least unless he could break the encryption.

"Your Highness, I've got something that you might want to see. It's encrypted and is addressed personally to you. The message itself is not encrypted but they encrypted the return address," he said, turning his attention to the prince.

Prince Lelouch frowned. "What is the message?" he asked.

Dimitri turned to the message and opened it up, eyes widening a little when he read the message out loud for the prince to hear:

 _Nightfall wants you dead._

 _We do not._

And, at the bottom of the message, was the crest of the Liberators.

"But what does that mean?" Rayne asked in confusion.

"I think it's fairly obvious," Prince Lelouch said. "Nightfall is acting on his own but wants me to believe that the entire Liberators organization is the one after me. Unity, or whoever sent that message if it wasn't Unity, clearly wants me to know that Nightfall is, indeed, acting on his own. Granted, that is supposing this message is authentic. Dimitri, any way to figure out if the message is an authentic one?"

"I cannot do it but I can send it to the analysts in the Intelligence Department and they _might_ be able to figure it out," Dimitri said.

"Then send it."

"Yes, Your Highness."

 **. . .**

 _Kozuki Resistance's Temporary Base, Shinjuku Ghetto_

"... _half-brother's death will not go unpunished. Now that the true culprits behind his murder have been revealed, I will ensure that justice is served. To Unity, the leader of the Liberators, this is my message to you: I respect that you are willing to try and ensure there are no civilian causalities but I cannot respect the hypocritical nature of your words. You say that you will defend those who cannot defend themselves but what happened last Christmas is proof that you do not adhere to your own words. Or, possibly, you have no control over your own organization and the crimes of your subordinates are your responsibility. As a leader, you are responsible for their actions,_ " Prince Lelouch was saying on the television screen later that evening, his face dark and his eyes were cold. It was a far-cry from how he always looked whenever he was around Nunnally. A mask, Kallen decided. The mask of the Demon Prince.

"Grr, damn you, Nightfall," Reyes growled.

" _I believe he did receive my message though,_ " Unity said on the computer screen as they were video chatting with him when Prince Lelouch came on the air. " _Otherwise, I do not think he'd have included that last part._ "

"It's like he's saying 'keep your dogs on a tighter leash'," Reyes mused.

Kallen had to admit that, if she really thought about it, the prince's words could be interpreted like that. She only listened with half an ear to the rest of the prince's speech as she turned her attention back to Ohgi and her friends, and the mysterious B.B. character who was seated by the broken window, brow furrowed as he gazed outside.

"Now what?" Tamaki asked. "I mean, we fulfilled our end of our deal with Michal."

" _You still have to fulfill your end of our deal,_ " Unity said. " _I still want the Demon Prince, alive and unharmed._ "

"Tch. You're asking the impossible," Tamaki scoffed.

"And, frankly, I can't see him turning against his family, not after that speech of his," Inoue admitted as the speech came to an end.

" _But I will not know that for sure until I speak with him myself. I need to know more about him and there is only so much I can figure out when my spy has very little contact with him,_ " Unity said, which briefly made Kallen wonder just who Unity's spy was. She hadn't bothered on asking, since she knew that he wouldn't tell her, but she was still curious.

"At the very least, if _you_ can't get to the prince, chances are neither can Nightfall, which is a good thing," Reyes commented.

"Not when it comes to actually capturing the Demon Prince," Tamaki huffed, throwing up his hands in frustration. "Damn it. It's like you're asking for some sort of miracle or something! We can't just waltz right into the Viceroy's Palace and kidnap him."

"Especially not with his Royal Guard and his Knight around him all the time," Kallen agreed.

"Then get him alone," B.B. said from by the window, still not looking at any of them.

"Tch, easy for _you_ to say. Just how the hell can we do that?" Tamaki scoffed. He, like the rest of the Kozuki Resistance, didn't exactly trust the mysterious B.B. but, since the prince was looking for him, they thought that they could use him to draw the prince in. However, in light of recent events, Kallen wasn't so sure that would work.

Frankly, the only reason that B.B. was staying with them was because he knew too much and had admitted that he had no intention of leaving anytime soon for some reason he refused to explain.

"I am sure that there will come a time when you can get him alone. When in battle, for example, you could separate him from his men then since Sapporo is evidence that he does fight with his men on the battlefield," B.B. said calmly.

"It'd still be tough," Ohgi said.

"Yeah, especially since he is a pretty strong pilot. He was able to hold his own against Nightfall for a while and that's difficult to do, especially with Nightfall trying to kill him the entire time," Michal mused.

" _Nevertheless, our deal still stands. If you want more support, resources, and weapons then you must capture the Demon Prince,_ " Unity said.

"Still think it's an impossible mission," Tamaki growled.

Kallen had to agree.

Michal suddenly smiled. "Well, you might have your chance of trying next week," he said.

"Why do you say that?" Sugiyama said.

"Susumu"—the spy who'd returned to the Yamato Alliance on Michal's orders the day before, and was only there to report—"reported that the Yamato Alliance is planning something for the Weapons Depot northwest of the settlement next Thursday. And wouldn't it be interesting if such information was slipped to the Demon Prince, a Demon Prince who is already well aware of who was behind the attack on the outskirts of the settlement and who supposedly _started_ the incident a few days ago? After all, Unity has already put the blame for the attack on the edge of the settlement and the fight that led to the massacre on the Yamato Alliance after all."

Kallen's jaw dropped. "You put the blame for the Shinjuku incident on the Yamato Alliance?" she repeated.

" _Yes,_ " Unity said simply.

"I see you share Michal's opinion on the Yamato Alliance," Reyes mused. "Can't say I blame ya if their leader really is Nightfall-level psychotic."

Ohgi nodded in agreement. "Naoto never really got along with the Yamato Alliance after their old leader Izumi was killed. Actually, none of us really did," he said.

Kallen raised an eyebrow. She hadn't known about that. "When did this happen?"

"It was before Naoto agreed to let you start spending more time at the base," Ohgi admitted.

"Just how bad are they if they're Nightfall-level psychotic?"

"It's not them, it's the leader. The rest of the members are just sheep who do whatever their new leader tells them," Michal said coolly. "They are radical terrorists, plain and simple. What Unity said happened in that message he gave to the media is the truth."

Kallen gritted her teeth. Killing civilians, _innocents..._ It was then that she realized the enormity of what Michal was saying earlier. Her jaw dropped again. "You plan on setting the Demon Prince on the Yamato Alliance?" she said.

The devious smirks on Unity's and Michal's faces answered that question.

"And you might be able to use that battle to get to the prince, possibly if the opportunity presents itself," Michal said.

Kallen glanced at her friends, still in surprise but saw that Ohgi was looking thoughtful if a bit nervous.

"It's a risk," he said finally. "But...we need the resources and the weapons."

"Yeah, still sounds impossible but, hey, we might get lucky," Tamaki said.

"Yeah, though we should, um, try to come up with a plan of sorts," Ohgi said. Kallen smiled encouragingly at the former teacher, knowing that he was still very nervous and hadn't yet gathered all the confidence he needed to be their leader. He was getting there but Kallen knew that it would take time.

"Yeah. Well, we've got a week. Might as well make the most of it," Minami said.

 **. . .**

 _March 25, 2017_

 _Throne Room, Imperial Palace, Pendragon_

Cornelia sat down next to her brother Schneizel, gazing out at the sea of faces that stretched out in front of her. The memorial for her brother Prince Clovis was to take place in a few minutes while the funeral itself would occur within a few days of Clovis's body returning to Pendragon. However, Cornelia, and her little sister Euphie, would already be in Area 11 by the time that happened. The Emperor had ordered Cornelia to set out as soon as the memorial was over and so she, and the Glaston Knights and Euphie, would be on the next plane out of Pendragon.

She still wasn't exactly happy with her new predicament because she knew it was a punishment. It was supposed to be a punishment, striking her in her pride by forcing her to become subordinate to her younger half-brother.

She didn't blame Lelouch for that. Her younger half-brother really had achieved an impressive victory over the Liberators and, while it was irritating that he'd managed that, she was rather proud of her little half-brother's achievement. He'd really amassed a strong reputation as a result but then, she knew that would happen; the Liberators were such a large and powerful threat that to face off against a cell of the Liberators' organization was a trial that could make or break a person.

For Lelouch, it had caused the reputation he'd started to make for himself after his victory at Osaka to skyrocket to the point that even choosing a Number as a Knight hadn't affected it in the slightest.

That brought another thought to Cornelia's mind. _Just why did he choose a Number to be his Knight of Honor?_ She resolved to ask her little half-brother when she arrived in Area 11.

Schneizel cast a sidelong glance at her and Cornelia, realizing that the memorial was starting, immediately straightened up, her grief over Clovis's death slipping onto her face for a brief moment before she masked it again. Their father stood up and strode to the podium and opened his mouth as he began to speak.

"All men are not created equal. Some are born swifter afoot. Some with greater beauty. Some are born into poverty. And others are born sick and feeble, both in birth and upbringing. In sheer scope of ability, every human is inherently different. Yes, that is why people discriminate against one another. Which is why there is struggle, competition and the unfaltering march of progress. Inequality is not wrong, equality is! What of the E.U., which made equality a right? Rabble politics by a popularity contest. The Chinese Federation with its equal distribution of wealth? A nation of lazy dullards! But not our beloved Britannia. We fight, we compete! Evolution is continuous! Britannia alone moves forward, advancing steadily into the future. Even the death of my son Clovis demonstrates Britannia's unswerving commitment to progress. We will fight on! We shall struggle, compete, plunder and dominate! And in the end, the future shall be ours. All hail Britannia!"

"All hail Britannia! All hail Britannia! All hail Britannia!" The rest of the sea of faces chanted.

 **. . .**

 _Auditorium, Ashford Academy_

" _All hail Britannia! All hail Britannia! All hail Britannia!_ "

Lelouch had to fight hard to keep his apathetic mask on and not glare daggers of hatred at the Emperor whose image dominated the screen. Inwardly, he was sneering. _Of course you would speak a motivational speech during your own son's funeral. Of course,_ he thought.

The Emperor raised a hand, causing the clamor in the throne room to calm down, before he stated, " _As such, as of today, as proof that Britannia is moving toward the future and is following its commitment to progress forward, I hereby declare the new Viceroy of Area 11. From this day forward, the new Viceroy of Area 11 shall be my son, the Demon Prince of Britannia himself, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia!_ "

Lelouch started, surprise flitting across his face but he abruptly masked it except for the slightest narrowing of his eyes. _Why? Why are you giving me so much power?_ He thought, recalling that he was still in charge of the terrorist threat of Area 11, essentially giving him almost full control of the military—General Andon still maintained full control—but now he had _full political_ control of Area 11?

 _What are you planning, dearest father?_ Lelouch thought scornfully.

"Wow, that's big news, Big Brother. Father must be really proud of you to give you this position, though I'm not sure why he did it during this memorial," Nunnally said as she turned her bluish purple eyes to Lelouch and he gave her a small, half-smile, still marveling just a little bit at the miracle that gave Nunnally her eyesight back.

She was dressed in a black dress with a veil covering her eyes to show her mourning for their elder half-brother and, while her eyes were still sad, there was genuine happiness mingled with confusion in her eyes upon hearing the Emperor's order.

"He rarely addresses the public anyway so, perhaps, he thought it would be pragmatic to include that announcement now," Lelouch replied.

"I guess." Nunnally tilted her head to the side, her eyes thoughtful. "Well, you were the Sub-Viceroy so I suppose it's not that big of a surprise that you'd get this position. I wonder what Clovis is thinking. Do you think he's happy wherever he is, Big Brother?"

Lelouch resisted the urge to look away as guilt welled up within him again. He gave his little sister another faint smile. "I'm sure he is, Little Sister," he said.

"Maybe he's up there painting. Since we both know he loves to paint," Nunnally said.

"Yeah, maybe."

 **. . .**

 _Kozuki Resistance's Temporary Base, Shinjuku Ghetto_

"Well, that just made this a hell of a lot harder," Tamaki huffed as they all listened to the Emperor's announcement.

"We might still be able to pull it off if we find an opening during the fight at the Weapons Depot," Sugiyama said.

Kaname nodded in agreement, pressing his lips together. "But if we fail at the Weapons Depot then our chances will be a hell of a lot slimmer. He's going to be even more protected now than before," he said. He knew he was restating the obvious but he couldn't help but reinforce that fact. Even if Michal and Reyes still wanted him and the rest of the Kozuki Resistance to go through with the harebrained task, they had to know that it was going to be even tougher now.

"We know that, Ohgi," Yoshida said.

Kaname sighed. "What I'm trying to ask is: do you think the Liberators' support as well as its resources and weapons is worth the risk?" he said. He wasn't trying to dissuade them from the task, he was just trying to ensure that they knew of just how hard it was going to be, of just how risky it was. Naoto would have done the same thing.

"I think it's worth the risk," Sugiyama said finally. "We've been risking everything since the first moment we formed this resistance, since the first moment that Naoto approached all of us and asked us if we would be willing to put our lives on the line to fight to liberate Japan."

"Agreed," Inoue said with a nod. "Capturing the prince will be just like fighting the Britannian military; in both instances, we will be putting our lives on the line. Granted, I will admit that capturing the prince will likely be worse if we're caught."

"Yeah but, like Sugiyama said, we've been risking everything since we first got together," Minami said. "We've all run the risk of being arrested and interrogated every time we go against Britannia. Hell, stealing that poison gas capsule could have gotten Kallen and Nagata captured themselves." The entire group fell silent at the mention of the friend they'd lost during the Shinjuku crisis a few days earlier.

"I agree with all of you," Kaname said because they all brought up the same points that he was going to bring up when asked for his own opinion. "It'll be tough but if you're all willing to try then we can try. That's really all we can do."

The rest of the Kozuki Resistance nodded in agreement.

"What of Kallen?" Tamaki asked.

"I'll speak with her about this the next time I contact her," Kaname said.

 **. . .**

 _March 26, 2017_

 _Viceroy's Office, Viceroy's Palace_

Lelouch gazed out the window of his new permanent office now that the 'interim' in his title was gone. He was still surprised that the Emperor was handing him complete political control of Area 11, and a near complete militaristic control as well since Schneizel had contacted him last night and informed him that his orders for the military was still in effect. But, essentially speaking, he had Area 11, Japan, in the palm of his hand.

He had the country that he saw as more of a home than Pendragon would ever be under his near complete control.

But if he could get _complete_ control of Area 11, of Japan, then he could definitely use that to his advantage. However, in order to do that, he would need to be the Commander-in-Chief of the 11th Division and, at the moment, that was General Andon's position.

For now, he would play the role of Viceroy as the Emperor wanted him to do. No sense in making the Emperor suspicious of his ambitions; it would be best if Lelouch kept some of his cards close to him, especially his new Geass power.

Suzaku knew about it, primarily because he had seen it in action and Lelouch refused to use the power on his best friend for any reason, but Lelouch also trusted him with that secret.

He'd also tested it. He wanted to ensure that he worked out all the limitations that the power had before he used it on Tara and on anyone else who was important. So far, he'd found out that it requires eye contact, it could be used for up to a range of about two hundred meters, it could affect more than one person at once as long as they were within his metaphorical line of sight, and, finally, it could only be used on a person once.

As far as Lelouch knew, those were all of the limitations since he hadn't found out whether there was a time limit or not yet.

There was a knock on the door at that moment and Lelouch looked toward it, puzzled since he was pretty sure he didn't have any meetings that day. "Come in," he called, turning away from the window.

The door opened and then, to Lelouch's surprise, a flurry of pink shot across the office.

"Lelouch!"

Lelouch was knocked back against the window, wincing as his shoulder spiked in pain as a very familiar pink-haired princess hugged him. "Euphie?" he said surprised as Euphie pulled back, smiling, her lavender eyes bright.

"Euphie! I thought I told you _not_ to do that when we got here," Cornelia's voice exclaimed in exasperation and Lelouch lifted his head to find Cornelia standing in front of the door, one hand on her forehead as she glared at her now sheepishly smiling little sister.

"Sorry but I just wanted to make sure he was all right," Euphie said, releasing Lelouch and stepping back.

"Almost driving him through a window doesn't help in that endeavor, Euphie," Cornelia said dryly.

Euphie blushed. "Sorry, Lelouch," she said. Her eyes landed on the Lelouch's arm, which was currently still in a sling from the gunshot wound, and she gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were injured."

"It's fine, Euphie," Lelouch assured her, placing his good hand on her shoulder before turning to Cornelia. "But what brings you two here, Nellie?"

Cornelia made her way forward. "The Emperor's orders," she said. "I am to be your new Sub-Viceroy."

Lelouch blinked. _Cornelia_ was going to be his new _Sub-Viceroy?_ She was going to be _his subordinate?_ He didn't know whether to be shocked by the new arrangement or amused that his elder half-sister was going to have to follow his orders. So he settled on a mixture of the two.

"Well, that is quite the surprise," he said. "And why would Father"—oh how he _hated_ that word but he had to keep up appearances—"have the Chief General of Britannia be my subordinate?"

"He thinks that, after Cairo, I was to be reassigned and that, if you need it, I am to help you with the terrorist threat here in Area 11," Cornelia said with thinned lips. It was clear she hated having to relay such orders, that the Emperor's orders for her were really doing a number on her pride. "As such, I and the Glaston Knights are here should you need us."

Lelouch waved a hand for Cornelia and Euphie to sit down as he walked over to his desk. "Your battle prowess is commendable and having you work alongside me to destroy the terrorist threat is not an opportunity that I am going to pass up," he said as he watched Cornelia and Euphie sit down. "What about Euphie?"

"Um, well, I wanted to experience high school," Euphie said shyly. "You know, as an actual student rather than being homeschooled. Nellie doesn't want me to, since she says it's too dangerous, but...I mean Nunnally goes to school so why can't I?" She sounded defensive, her brow furrowed in stubborn determination.

Lelouch chuckled. "I see you've grown more stubborn," he said and turned to Cornelia. "If she wants to experience an actual school life then I don't see why we shouldn't let her. She can enroll at Ashford Academy, that's the school that Nunnally attends, and can stay with Nunnally in the clubhouse. I personally ensured the security around the Academy so she will be safe."

"Please, Nellie!" Euphie begged, flashing Cornelia the largest puppy dog eyes that Lelouch hasn't seen in a while.

Cornelia sighed. "All right, fine," she said.

Euphie squealed in happiness and hugged Cornelia. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she cried.

Lelouch couldn't help but start chuckling again. "If you wish, we can head over to Ashford Academy later. I have no meetings planned for today anyway and I'm sure Nunnally would love to see you," he said.

 _And, this time, I mean that in the literal sense of the word._

 **. . .**

 _Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy_

"This is all your fault, Milly," Kallen deadpanned, gazing around the disaster zone that the kitchen had been turned into. Rai, who was attempting to wipe the pancake batter and strawberry banana smoothie off his face, had to agree. They had all gone to the kitchen to make a late breakfast and smoothies and Rai quickly learned that Shirley and Rivalz should never be allowed near a mixer and a blender respectively.

And how the hell did they manage to get pancake batter on the ceiling?

"Hey, it was fun, wasn't it?" Milly said with a grin as pancake batter slid down her face.

Nunnally just laughed.

Rai smiled. Really, he hadn't expected to be accepted by the Student Council as quickly as he had. Only a little over three weeks had gone by since he joined the Student Council and, while progress on regaining his memories hadn't been made whatsoever, he had gained several good friends.

He gazed around at the chaos. Nunnally was in the corner of the room with pancake batter and smoothie in her hair, on her face, and on the pink dress that she was wearing. Adeline was at her side, trying to remove pancake batter that had gone down the front of her shirt; she also had smoothie and pancake batter in her hair and on her face. Nina had shielded herself with a cookie sheet she'd grabbed off the counter in time to avoid the worst of the flying food but still got some smoothie and pancake batter in her hair and on her glasses. Milly had been lucky to only get pancake batter on her face. Along with Rai himself, Kallen, Shirley, and Rivalz were the worst off; they all had been at the very center of the kitchen when Shirley lost control of the mixer, and nearly got her long hair that had come undone from its bun caught in the mixer itself, and Rivalz forgot to put the lid on the blender before starting it.

Needless to say, all four of them had a mixture of pancake batter and smoothie in their hair, dripping down their face, and on their clothes.

"Only you would think this is fun," Kallen huffed while Shirley attempted to get the worse of the pancake batter and smoothie out of her hair. It wasn't working out so well.

"It was," Milly said. "Food fights always are!"

"I wouldn't count this as a food fight, Milly," Shirley said with a sigh, gazing around at the disaster zone.

"It's more like brunch gone wrong," Rai said.

The pancake batter that was on the ceiling decided to obey gravity at that moment and fell, landing on Kallen's head.

Nunnally started laughing again as did Milly while Kallen's eye twitched as pancake batter slid down her already-caked-in-pancake-batter face.

Adeline's phone decided to go off at that moment and she, wiping the pancake batter off her hands to the best of her ability, pulled it out and read the text. "Nunnally, Lelouch just told me that he wants you to close your eyes when he arrives. He's brought someone with him and wants to surprise them," she said.

Nunnally tilted her head to the side curiously but nodded. "Okay," she said.

"Milly!" A voice called from the ballroom at that moment.

"Hey, Lelouch! We're in the kitchen! We'll be right out!" Milly shouted.

"We...We can't go out like this!" Shirley cried.

"It's not polite to keep royalty waiting," Milly said with that cheerful smile on her face. "Ah, Lulu won't mind at all. In fact, he might _enjoy_ getting that pancake batter and smoothie off you." She waggled her eyebrows as she said that.

Rai blushed at the implication again and Shirley went bright red.

"M...Madame President!" she cried.

Adeline laughed. "I'm surprised you didn't see that coming, Shirley. We are talking about the Prez here," she said.

Nunnally giggled. "C'mon, let's not keep Big Brother waiting," she said and closed her eyes.

Adeline grasped the handles of her wheelchair and wheeled her out of the room.

"C'mon, Shirley," Milly said, grabbing Shirley and half-dragging her out of the kitchen.

Nina put down the cookie sheet and followed while Rai, Rivalz, and Kallen brought up the rear of the group.

He spotted the prince first as well as his Knight but the two beside him were unknown to him. The taller one had long purple hair that fell over her shoulders and indigo-colored eyes. She was dressed in a wine-red shirt with gold accents over wine red pants also with gold accents. A black-lined white cape was around her shoulders and wine red heeled boots were on her feet. The shorter one was a girl maybe a year younger than Rai with long pink hair that fell down her back with two buns on top of her head and strands falling over her shoulders. Her lavender eyes were highlighted by faint pink eyeshadow and she was dressed in a white-and-pink dress that went to her ankles with a rose necklace around her neck.

Prince Lelouch raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Is there any particular reason why the entire Student Council and Nunnally have pancake batter and...is that smoothie?...all over you?" he asked.

"Nope," Milly said, popping the 'p'.

The prince sighed. "The last time this happened, it took the entire Student Council three _weeks_ to clean the kitchen," he said. "And I still have no idea how you got cake batter on the ceiling of all places."

 _Huh, so that's happened before,_ Rai thought, wiping away some pancake batter that had slid into his eye.

"Me? We all know that's not true. That was all Rivalz's fault," Milly said with a grin.

"Good point."

"Hey! It was not my fault!" Rivalz exclaimed.

"Yes, it was," Milly, Prince Lelouch, Shirley, and even Nina deadpanned at the exact same time.

"Was it his fault this time?" Prince Lelouch asked curiously.

"No, it wasn't!" Rivalz shouted.

"Yes, it was," Milly, Shirley, Nina, Adeline, and Rai deadpanned.

Nunnally laughed. "Oh be nice, you guys," she chided. "We all know Shirley, Kallen, and Rai had a hand in what happened."

"Wait, what did I do?" Rai said confused.

"Yeah, and what did _I_ do?" Kallen asked in meek bewilderment.

"That's easily explained. You two didn't stop 'em," Milly said dramatically.

"How was I to know Shirley doesn't know how to use a mixer?" Kallen said.

"And how was I supposed to know that Rivalz hadn't put the lid on the blender?" Rai said.

"You just were! Lulu always did!" Milly said cheerfully.

Prince Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "I never 'just knew'. I just paid attention to what was going on," he said.

"Then that's what you two should've done!" Milly said, gesturing toward Kallen and Rai.

"And how was I supposed to pay attention when Rivalz was trying to show off his singing skills?" Rai asked and the entire Student Council, and Lelouch, shuddered in unison.

"Hey, I am not that bad of a singer!" Rivalz said.

"True. You're better than Suzaku. He still makes nails on a chalkboard sound great," Prince Lelouch said with a smirk at his Knight.

"Thank you ever so much for that, my prince," Suzaku said, the sarcasm strong in his voice.

"Anytime." Prince Lelouch turned his attention back to the Student Council. "Well, seems I got a bit distracted. I actually came here for two reasons. One is so that Cornelia and Euphie can see Nunnally and the other is this." He waved a hand toward the younger girl and added, "Everyone, this is Euphemia li Britannia. She will be starting at Ashford Academy starting tomorrow morning and will be staying with Nunnally in the clubhouse."

"It's nice to meet all of you. Please call me Euphie," Euphemia said with a bright smile as she stepped forward to greet them, her eyes twinkling in amusement as she looked at them.

"Nice to see you again, Euphie," Milly greeted her.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Shirley," Shirley said. "Um, I'd shake your hand but I got smoothie and pancake batter on it."

Euphie giggled. "That's fine," she said, taking Shirley's hand and shaking it.

"I'm Rivalz," Rivalz greeted her.

"I'm Adeline," Adeline said.

"I'm Kallen," Kallen said meekly.

"Um, I'm Nina," Nina said softly.

"I'm Rai," Rai said, holding out a hand toward Euphie who took it and shook it in greeting as she did all the others.

"It's nice to meet all of you," Euphie said as she lowered her hand, still smiling brightly.

Nunnally wheeled herself forward at that moment, Adeline moving at her side, and smiled at Euphie and Cornelia. "There's something that I gotta show you, Euphie, Nellie," she said.

"What is it?" Cornelia asked.

Nunnally grinned. "This," she said and she opened her eyes, gazing at Cornelia and Euphie, whose eyes went wide with shock. "I can see again!"

"Y...You..that's...that's great!" Euphie cried and threw her arms around Nunnally, tears falling from her eyes. "You can see! You can see! How? Why? What happened?"

Nunnally patted Euphie's back as a shell-shocked Cornelia slowly moved forward, stretching out a hand and touching Nunnally's cheek.

"You can see? H...How?" she stammered out.

Nunnally smiled a little. "I'm not entirely sure myself," she admitted. "I just...I don't know why I was keeping my eyes closed. It was...as if I believed that I couldn't see and so kept my eyes closed but, recently, I just stopped believing that and opened my eyes and I could see." Her brow furrowed in puzzlement. "That made more sense in my head."

Euphie let out a choked laugh and pulled back from Nunnally. "I still...it's so hard to believe and yet it's happening. It's a miracle!" she said, a smile spreading across her face through her tears.

"Yeah, it is," Cornelia said, smiling softly as she reached out and hugged Nunnally.

Rai smiled at the heartwarming scene.

Naturally, it had to end.

Lelouch's phone rang and he, glancing at it, pulled it out of his pocket, answering the call. "I thought I didn't have any meetings today, Jeremiah," he said into it.

There was a moment of silence, then Lelouch's face darkened with rage. "Tara. Did. What?!"

Nunnally stiffened and Rai saw her face go white with fear as she whipped her head around, staring at her big brother. "W...What about T...Tara?" she stammered out, fear in her voice.

Lelouch didn't answer his little sister's question as a furious scowl crossed his lips. "Lock down the base this instant. Have the Black Knights secure the perimeter around the base. I don't care what you have to do, Jeremiah. Do. Not. Let. That. Bitch. Escape!" he ordered swiftly, coldly, his amethyst eyes flames of rage.

"What's going on?" Cornelia asked, staring at Nunnally who was shaking, the fear on her white face morphing into terror.

Lelouch didn't answer, just shut his phone and bolted to Nunnally's side, kneeling down and gently gathering the terrified girl into his arms, resting her on his lap as he rubbed her back. "Shh, shh, it's okay, it's okay," he whispered.

"N...No, no it's not. She...She's out. She...She..." Nunnally started to cry, tears of terror sliding out of her eyes as she buried her face into her big brother's chest, clutching at his shirt.

"Shh, shh." Lelouch whispered.

"What's going on?" Euphie asked, gazing at the crying Nunnally and Lelouch who was attempting to calm her down.

Suzaku finally took it upon himself to explain. "I don't know the entire story," he said. "But...Nunnally was nearly assassinated by the girl Tara twice, the second time only happened about three weeks ago."

"Oh dear," Euphie gasped, eyes wide as she darted forward and wrapped her arms around Nunnally's trembling form.

Cornelia growled in fury, her hands clenching into fists.

"I should've killed her while I had the chance," Lelouch growled, stroking Nunnally's hair.

"Why didn't you?" Cornelia asked.

"Because I wanted answers. I wanted to know why and who sent her," Lelouch replied just as his phone rang again. He pulled it out and rested it against his ear. "Yes?"

A moment of silence, then: "Keep her there. I'm on my way," Lelouch said and shut his phone.

"Don't go," Nunnally whimpered.

"Shh, I'll be back later," Lelouch murmured softly. "I'm just going to go ask her some questions and then I'll come back."

"But...But...I don't...you might..." Nunnally stammered out, tears flooding out of her eyes.

Lelouch gently took Nunnally's hand and Nunnally looked up as he interlocked his pinky with hers. "I will come back, Little Sister," he said softly. "Cross my heart, hope to die, eat a thousand needles if I lie."

Nunnally smiled. "O...Okay. Come back, Big Brother," she said.

"Of course I'll come back. I certainly don't want to eat a thousand needles," Lelouch said with a teasing smile.

Nunnally giggled.

Lelouch leaned forward and pressed his lips to Nunnally's forehead, closing his eyes briefly before, once Euphie let go of Nunnally, he stood up and returned her to her wheelchair. "Adeline," he said, turning to the golden-haired woman.

"I'll protect her, Your Highness," Adeline said firmly.

Lelouch said nothing. "Suzaku, give her your gun," he said.

"Yes, my prince," Suzaku said, sounding a bit confused but he pulled out his gun, resting next to the scabbard for his sword, and handed it to Adeline.

"If she gets free and comes near Nunnally again, Adeline, kill her," Lelouch said, his voice icy and devoid of emotion.

"Yes, Your Highness," Adeline said with a bow, her face also devoid of emotion, though there was a slight flicker of unease in her blue eyes.

Lelouch turned to Suzaku. "Let's go. I have an assassin to interrogate," he said. He glanced at Cornelia and added, "You can come with if you wish, Cornelia, but I think Euphie should stay here. Nunnally might feel more comfortable with her around. Besides, she could use a tour of the clubhouse where she'll be staying anyway."

Cornelia nodded and turned to Euphie. "Euphie, stay here with Nunnally," she said.

Euphie nodded, moving to Nunnally's side and taking the still scared girl's hand.

Lelouch swept out of the ballroom dramatically with Suzaku falling into step beside him and Cornelia followed him.

Rai watched them go before looking at Nunnally, who now had her face buried in Euphie's arm, clutching at her hand, and felt a pang of sympathy go through him.

 _I'm sorry that you had to go through something like this. It's horrible, like what happened with her...wait, who?_ Rai frowned in confusion, attempting to figure out just where that odd thought came from but as soon as he went to grasp it, it slipped right through his fingers.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: some things are meant to stay the same, even if it ended up happening differently. But that ending! I get to hint at Rai's side character arc a little bit! I'm happy with it though**

 **Bakura: who the hell cares?**

 **Blaze: certainly not you**

 **Luciano: (still falling and watching TV) he doesn't care about anything but stealing**

 **Suzaku: (sweatdrops) how are you watching TV?**

 **Luciano: someone threw a TV over the cliff yesterday for some reason**

 **Suzaku: ok? (Mutters) who threw a TV over a cliff?**

 **Lelouch: (walks into computer room, holding a machete in his hands)**

 **Bakura: I didn't make that brat cry!**

 **Lelouch: did you just call my little sister a brat?**

 **Bakura: …no?**

 **Suzaku: Lelouch, why are you carrying a machete?**

 **Lelouch: (smirks evilly)**

 **Suzaku: … on second thought, I don't want to know**

 **Blaze: please don't kill Bakura today, Lelouch**

 **Lelouch: all right**

 **Bakura: (sighs in relief and then realizes what Blaze** _ **actually**_ **said) what do you mean** _ **today**_ **?**

 **Blaze: (shrugs) I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated. And, once again, Happy late Halloween everyone!**


	35. Attack at the Weapons Depot

**Well, it's my first update of 2018! Yay!**

 **Happy New Year everyone, even if I'm a day late.**

 **Thank you to** _ **Guest 1, Guest 2, Vasalli, Mikazuki Augus1, Blacksword Zero, Guest 3, Guest 4, harlequin320, DYnoJackal19, Shadow-Shinobi666, DarkAeroSage, OBSERVER01, Guest 5, Wisegirl12xx, Doommajor, Scarease, QuaintReticent, Anand891996, B-Kira, Grimraven.V, Imperial warlord,**_ **and** _ **Shimmering-Sky**_ **for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome!**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

 _March 22, 2017_

 _Saitama Ghetto, Area 11_

 _The leader of the Yamato Alliance, Yasuo Hotate, paced angrily in the small room at the temporary headquarters that he and his men had fled to following the failed attack on that lab when the 1_ _st_ _Regiment had driven them away. He was mostly angry because of those damn Liberators! They said that they would give him weapons if he helped them with their attack but, after he and his men had been forced to retreat from the battle, they hadn't fallen through with their end of the deal._

 _And it pissed him off to no end._

 _Because, he was back to square one; he still had a few of the Glasgows from the attack on the lab and a few missile launchers and all of his members still had some ammo left for their guns but that was pretty much it. They were running low on weapons and fast and the Liberators, despite promising them, were not giving them supplies._

 _"Sir, are you okay?" one member of the Alliance, a guy named Susumu, said._

 _"I'm fine," he snapped as he paced, glaring at the ground. "The Liberators were supposed to help us but that fell through and I have no idea why! It's pissing me off that they refuse to give the help that they promised us and they won't even tell us why!"_

 _"Maybe they think we haven't proven ourselves to them or something," another member of the Alliance, a guy named Taichi, suggested._

 _Yasuo paused in his pacing, eyes narrowed in thought. "Hmm, you could be right but, nonetheless, we are running low on weapons and supplies."_

 _"Um, what about the Weapons Depot on the edge of the Saitama Ghetto?" Another Alliance member that the leader didn't bother on learning the name of suggested. "I mean it's not guarded well, er, well, not that much anyway. It'd be a good place to strike 'cause no one really pays much attention to it 'cause it's one of the smaller ones and it doesn't have knightmares or nothing like that but it does have guns and rifles and grenades and stuff like that. At least, that's what the spy you sent in that direction managed to find out."_

 _"Dude, how are you not passing out from saying all of that in one breath?" Susumu said bewildered._

 _"When did this spy's report come in? And why wasn't I informed immediately?" Yasuo growled at the same time, whirling around to glare at his subordinate who gulped and lowered his head._

 _"Well, um, it kinda came in while you were attacking the lab so, um, I didn't think 'bout it 'till now," he said._

 _Yasuo scowled but his lips pressed together thoughtfully at his subordinate's words._ If that Weapons Depot really isn't that well guarded then that might be my chance to get the weapons and supplies that I need, _he thought. "Do you know anything else about what's happening at that depot? When would be the opportune moment to attack?"_

 _"The spy says that the depot's manager was talking about hosting a class of Britannian students next Thursday who are being introduced to the Britannian military and taking a tour of all of the military facilities here in Area 11" that same subordinate said._

 _"Japan, damn it."_

 _"Sorry."_

 _Yasuo pursued his lips. "Next Thursday..." he murmured as a plan began to form in his mind. "That could work."_

 **. . .**

 **35**

 **Attack at the Weapons Depot**

 _March 26, 2017_

 _Tokyo Military Base, Tokyo Settlement_

 _So close!_

That was one of the first thoughts that crossed Tara's mind as she found herself pinned to the ground in the hangar of the military base. She had been within only a few feet of the doors, had almost gotten free of the base, before three Black Knights had managed to catch up to her and tackle her. They weren't letting her up either. It didn't help that she couldn't concentrate on any of the items or people in the hangar to use her Geass.

She had been trapped in the cells beneath the military base for the past three weeks coming up with a plan to get out of there. She knew that it was unlikely that she would be able to get near the princess now; while she was determined to take out that useless bitch of a princess, she wasn't stupid enough to do so when security had probably tripled around her.

But that didn't stop her from trying to escape. Just because she wasn't going to go after the princess, now, that didn't mean that she wanted to remain imprisoned. She hadn't broken from the various interrogations that Prince Lelouch had put her through but she also didn't want to just sit in a cell when she could be fighting to fulfill her own dream.

B.B. wouldn't help her anymore. A small part of her regretted that—even if she would never admit it out loud, and never to him, she did care for B.B. and just wished that he hadn't been so quick as to go against her decision, since she knew that it was the only way to get her revenge—but it just meant that she would just have to do it by herself. She would get her revenge and destroy anyone who got in her way, including that useless bitch and her demon of a brother.

But, in order to do that, she needed to break free from the Black Knights that were keeping her pinned.

They had spoken to the Demon Prince earlier, telling them about how they'd managed to capture her soon after she'd managed to get out—she was still pissed by that—so she knew that the prince was on his way. Even if she did want to get free, she found herself suddenly wondering if this might be her chance to kill the Demon Prince himself.

She snorted, ceasing her struggling. If she wanted to kill the Demon Prince then she would need to concentrate on something in the hangar to use as a weapon or get her hands on a gun. She could use her Geass on the prince himself but using it on human beings seems, recently, to take far too much energy from her and she was already starting to get a headache as it was. But there were items in the hangar that she could use if she could just get them in her line of sight and be given the time she needed to concentrate on them.

And the Demon Prince has seen her Geass in action so she would have to be careful to not alert the prince to the fact that she was using it.

The door slid open and Tara lifted her head slightly as Margrave Gottwald strode into the hangar, his orange eyes glaring at her and his hand resting on the handle of his gun. "His Highness will be here in a few moments, girl," he said.

"Well, it ain't gonna matter 'cause I'm still not gonna tell him shit," Tara sneered. "And I am gonna get out of here, no matter what."

"Oh really?" Prince Lelouch's cool voice said and Tara turned her head to find the prince striding toward him with his Knight, his Royal Guard, and...was that Princess Cornelia?...at his side. "You sure are confident that you can do that."

"I got this far, didn't I?" Tara said.

"And you were still caught. Did you honestly think that I would let you escape? Especially after you tried to kill my little sister?"

"That useless bitch is better off dead."

Gottwald snarled in fury, cracking his knuckles and looking like he would very much want to stick a bullet in her head or break her neck.

Princess Cornelia looked like she was about ready to pull out her sidearm and pepper her with bullets.

Judging by the dark look on the Demon Prince's face, Tara wouldn't be surprised if he was entertaining those thoughts himself. She just lifted her head and said coolly, "Well, why don't ya kill me? 'cause I ain't gonna stop insulting your bitch of a sister anytime soon."

The prince's jaw clenched but he said nothing to her. Instead, he turned to the two that were keeping her pinned to the ground. "We will speak in the interrogation chamber. Bring her," he said.

"Yes, Your Highness," the two Black Knights said and, grabbing Tara's arms, they yanked her to her feet before following the prince as he led the way down the hall with his Knight at his side. Gottwald and the rest of the prince's Royal Guard flanked and brought up the rear of the group.

When they got to the interrogation chamber, Tara was thrown into a chair and her arms were handcuffed behind her back. With a wave of his hand as he took a seat across from her, Prince Lelouch dismissed the two Black Knights.

"Jeremiah, I want you and my Royal Guard to wait outside as well. Cornelia, please join them," Prince Lelouch said.

"Your Highness?" Gottwald said, frowning at him while Cornelia, narrowing her eyes, nodded shortly, though it was clear she wasn't happy.

"I will be fine. My Knight will remain with me."

 _Fool. Do you honestly think that I can't handle your Knight? With my Geass, I can take him out easily,_ Tara thought.

Gottwald glared at her. "If you harm His Highness, I will, personally, be the one to execute you," he spat and strode out of the room.

"Good luck with that," Tara called after him before the door to the interrogation chamber slid shut. She then turned her dark gaze to the prince, preparing to activate her Geass but, before she could, Prince Lelouch locked eyes with her.

The last thing Tara saw was the smug smirk on the Demon Prince's lips and then everything went dark.

 **. . .**

A smug smirk crossed Lelouch's lips as he activated his Geass the instant he made eye contact with Tara and he already knew the order that he would give her. Since he could only use his Geass on someone once, he was going to ensure that his command was one that he could use to his advantage. " _You will obey every single one of my commands whenever I say your name, Tara,_ " he stated firmly, watching as Tara stiffened, eyes widening as the ring of red appeared around her irises.

Suzaku glanced sharply at him but Lelouch ignored the look as he leaned back.

"Yes, Your Highness," Tara said monotonously.

"My first command, _Tara,_ you will answer all of my questions truthfully," Lelouch said.

"As you command, Your Highness."

"Why did you try to kill Nunnally?" Lelouch said because that was one of the most pressing questions on his mind.

Tara shrugged. "Because she is a member of the Royal Family and an easy target," she said.

Lelouch's jaw clenched and his eyes flashed. "Why do you seek to kill her because of her connection to the Royal Family?"

"Because Emperor Charles destroyed my village and killed my family and I want revenge. B.B. told me that I could get at the Emperor if I killed his children so that's what I decided to do," Tara said.

 _B.B._ Lelouch recalled what he had told him about his last meeting with Tara, about trying to talk her out of going after Nunnally but she refused to listen to him. It would appear that she really was stuck in her stubborn mindset that all members of the Royal Family, even those that didn't have very much, if any, power of their own in terms of governing the country, were her enemy and needed to die.

"Who sent you?" Lelouch asked.

"No one," Tara said monotonously. "I set upon this path of my own accord."

"B.B. said that he was the one who sent you after Clovis. Was he not the one who ordered that?"

"Yes and no."

"Why?"

"He wanted to go after Clovis to send a message to the Emperor and I chose to take that mission of my own accord."

"And Nunnally?"

"Chose to go after her of my own accord. B.B. had nothing to do with that." She said that part almost defensively and Lelouch detected something underneath the monotonous tone; sadness and faint traces of love. "He tried to talk me out of it."

 _Hmm, matches up to what B.B. told me after Nunnally regained her eyesight,_ Lelouch thought. Speaking of B.B., he still had, as of yet, to find him and he knew he was going to have to do that soon since there were still several questions that he had that B.B. refused to answer. Besides, he also wanted to know if it would be possible to gain B.B. as an ally to use to achieve his own ends. After all, he hated the Emperor and there was no denying that Lelouch hated the Emperor as well. He had Suzaku and his Royal Guard but to actually come across someone who felt the same way for the Emperor as he did?

And what did he mean by the Emperor's brother? And knowing him before Charles even took the throne?

Lelouch pushed those questions out of his mind and focused on what else he wanted to ask Tara, about her Geass power. "What about your power? What is it?" he said.

Tara's brow furrowed. "It's called Absolute Kinesis," she said monotonously. "It allows me to use my mind to move anything that I want but I can't use it too often or else I get a severe migraine and run the risk of having a brain aneurysm."

Lelouch hummed in thought, briefly wondering if his own Geass had any side effects like that. So far, he hadn't noticed any on his end; on the end of the person he used it on, the memory loss of slightly before and during the time Geass was used on him or her was a side effect. He'd have to make a mental note to look into that a bit more.

He watched as she blinked, the red ring around her irises vanishing as he remained silent, most likely because he hadn't asked her any questions so her brain was acknowledging that he had no more questions and no further orders at the moment. At least, that was what he assumed. He would have to test to see if Tara was still affected by his Geass command though.

Tara shook her head and glared at him. "Well, I don't know why you're so smug all of a sudden," she said coolly. "But I'm gonna get outta here and you ain't gonna stop me." Her eye began to glow.

" _Tara,_ you will remain in that seat until I tell you that you can stand up and leave," Lelouch said coolly and watched as the red ring appeared around Tara's irises and she remained in her seat, looking faintly confused about why she wasn't moving as the red ring vanished. _Hmm, so it is still affecting her. I can use this,_ Lelouch thought with a cool smirk.

Tara scowled at him. "I don't know what you plan on doing but I ain't gonna answer your questions and I am gonna get out of here," she spat.

Lelouch continued to gaze at her as he ran over his next set of orders in his mind and a sly smirk crossed his lips. "Suzaku, nothing that is said in this room leaves this room, understand?" he said.

Suzaku frowned at him but nodded once. "Yes, my prince," he said, his brow furrowing in confusion and concern, especially when Lelouch leaned closer to Tara and, after uttering her name, murmured his next order.

 **. . .**

 _What is he planning on doing?_ Suzaku thought, listening to the few orders that Lelouch was giving the aqua-haired girl who was under the influence of his Geass power. Suzaku still didn't approve of that power. It was stripping someone of their free will and that was something that Suzaku wouldn't wish upon anyone, even Tara though she had tried to kill Nunnally. But he also knew that there was no point in arguing with Lelouch over it; if Lelouch wanted to use the power that he had been given then who was Suzaku to stop him?

Besides, he had sworn his loyalty to Lelouch and he couldn't back out on that oath now. He was supposed to protect and defend his prince with his life if necessary. Not only that but Suzaku owed Lelouch more than he could ever repay and he would do everything in his power to keep his prince safe, even if it meant going along with whatever scheme his prince had thought up. His prince was a strategical and tactical genius, able to come up with surefire plans that could turn a hopeless situation into a great victory—Sapporo being a prime example of that—and he always knew what he was doing. He never did anything without a reason, even if Suzaku doubted he would ever truly figure out what the reason for his actions involving Tara were.

At least the last command that Lelouch gave Tara was one that Suzaku could understand.

"And, finally, _Tara,_ you will never try to harm, harm, try to kill, or kill Nunnally vi Britannia or any other living being ever again," Lelouch said firmly.

"Yes, Your Highness," Tara said monotonously.

"Good. Suzaku, bring Jeremiah in here. I have no further questions for this prisoner so he may escort her back to her cell," Lelouch said calmly, standing up.

"Yes, my prince," Suzaku said with a bow before he turned and left the soundproof interrogation chamber, informing Jeremiah of his prince's orders.

As Jeremiah slipped into the camber, Suzaku found himself under the critical eye of Cornelia li Britannia. He shifted a little uncomfortably as she studied him. "Was there something you needed, Your Highness?" he asked politely.

Princess Cornelia continued to study him. "Not from you, Sir Kururugi," she said, the word 'sir' was coupled with a slight twist of her lips. It was clear that she didn't approve of him anymore than Jeremiah did but that was to be expected. Suzaku was still trying to prove himself to the Britannians as a whole and, so far, it wasn't going quite that well and Cornelia was obviously among those who didn't believe an Honorary Britannian should have been given such an honor.

Suzaku knew that was going to be the case for a while, until the system was changed at the very least so he would deal with it until such a time came. Changing the system wasn't something that can happen overnight after all.

Jeremiah came out of the interrogation chamber, escorting a scowling Tara behind him, and Lelouch followed them, his face an apathetic mask. Tara twisted her head around to glare daggers at Lelouch who completely ignored her.

"What did you find out?" Cornelia asked.

"She wasn't sent by anyone. She acted of her own accord; however, she was working with someone who was the reason why she went after Clovis last year."

"Why did she go after Nunnally?"

Lelouch gave Cornelia the rough summary of his conversation with Tara, leaving out his Geass power and never once mentioning the other orders that he'd given to Tara. Suzaku realized that he was likely the only one, aside from Lelouch himself, who knew about Lelouch's Geass power or about the control he had over the assassin who also had a powerful Geass power of her own. But it was clear that Lelouch didn't want anyone else to know or, at the very least, didn't want Cornelia to know; otherwise, either he would have told her about his Geass or he would have let her sit in on the interrogation.

"I see." Cornelia's jaw clenched. "This B.B. character...how do we know he won't try again now that you're Viceroy?"

"There is a very strong chance that he will, because of my reputation if nothing else," Lelouch said.

"Isn't that big of a change considering you already have one psycho after your head," Tadashi mused.

"What?!" Cornelia exclaimed.

Lelouch gave the burnt-orange-haired young man a withering glare. "She did not know about that, Warrant Officer," he said coolly.

"Oh, uh, whoops?"

"Lelouch, explain," Cornelia said firmly, resting her hands on her hips and glaring at her younger half-brother, though Suzaku was positive there was a glimmer of concern in her indigo eyes.

Lelouch seemed to have noticed it as well because he said reassuringly, "It's nothing to concern yourself over, Nellie. I am not the first member of the Royal Family to have made an enemy and I am not incapable of taking care of myself."

Cornelia hummed but it was clear that she still wasn't exactly happy with his answer. She, apparently, decided to let it go as she brought up another topic, one that Suzaku wondered why she wanted to know. "I do have something else that I wanted to ask you," she said and, nodding her head in Suzaku's direction, she asked, "Why did you choose a Number to be your Knight of Honor?"

"Why?" Lelouch mused. "Various reasons. First and foremost being that I trust him far more than I trust anyone else, except Nunnally. No offense to my Royal Guard intended."

"None taken," Rayne said with a shrug. She, like the rest of Lelouch's Royal Guard, knew of just how hard, almost downright impossible, it was to earn Lelouch's trust. It was only because of the invasion that Suzaku had earned his prince's trust.

"Why do you trust him so much?" Cornelia asked, keeping her voice level but Suzaku could hear a faint puzzlement in her tone.

"He saved my life and Nunnally's life too many times to count, especially during the invasion," Lelouch said simply and turned as Jeremiah rejoined them. "I'm heading back to Ashford Academy. You may accompany me if you wish, Nellie. I suspect that you'll want to pick up Euphie anyway." He walked away without another word and Suzaku quickly darted to walk at his right side.

"Lelouch, when we get back to the palace, can we talk in private?" Suzaku asked quietly to avoid being overheard by the Second Princess who was walking behind them next to Jeremiah. He wanted to talk with his friend about those orders he'd given Tara and why he'd given them; the last one he understood but he didn't understand the others.

Lelouch cast a sidelong glance at him and nodded once as they kept on walking.

 **. . .**

 _Kozuki Resistance's Temporary Base, Shinjuku Ghetto_

B.B. straightened in his seat beside the window as he felt a faint stirring within the World of C, coming along the link he still had with his old contractor. Even though he'd freed Tara from her obligation to fulfill his wish, he was still linked with her and, as such, he was able to feel when Geass was used on her. And that was exactly what he'd just felt.

 _But why do I care?_

B.B. knew the reason why. A small part of him did still care about what happened to his old contractor. He had known that Tara was heading down a path that would only lead to a tragic future for her from the moment she made the decision to go after Nunnally. He didn't need his old Geass power to know that; it was obvious, especially considering how Britannia dealt with assassins who try to harm or kill members of the Royal Family. Half-commoner blood aside, Nunnally was a member of the Royal Family and Tara wasn't anywhere near important enough to be kept alive.

But that just brought with it another question.

 _Why is Tara still alive?_

Information. That was the obvious guess. Prince Lelouch likely wanted information out of her. Once she ran out of information to give, or just refused to give it out no matter what kind of interrogation techniques the Britannians used on her, she would outlive her usefulness to the country. And then she would be killed.

But it'd already been three weeks and she was still alive.

But she also just had Geass used on her so B.B. speculated that could be the reason why she was still alive.

It was just pure speculation, really. B.B. didn't have any answers whatsoever and he knew that he couldn't get any because the only way he could was either through Tara herself or by speaking with the prince himself. Both options weren't exactly viable at the moment. It was doubtful that Tara would even speak to him after their falling out and Prince Lelouch wasn't likely to speak to him unless he gave him the answers that he sought the last time they spoke.

B.B. honestly didn't even have to remain where he was. He could leave at any time but the only reason why he was staying was because of that girl Kallen.

B.B. had been observing Kallen from afar whenever the red-head girl came to visit. She hadn't come by as often since the Shinjuku Incident five days ago but, in the days leading up to that incident, she had come by as often as possible whenever she could get out of school. During those days, B.B. had studied her; her fiery temper, her skills as a knightmare pilot, her hatred of Britannia—especially General Andon who killed her brother—her desire to liberate Japan and fulfill her brother's dream. She was a determined, fiery, skilled young woman and B.B. was drawn to her, much in the same way he'd been drawn to Tara.

She had the potential to be a contractor.

But he needed to approach this carefully. He couldn't afford to make a rash decision again, not after what happened with both Tara and the princess. He needed to know that she was truly capable of fulfilling his wish when the time came.

And he honestly didn't even know if she would accept.

 _It would be interesting to see just_ what _her power would end up being if she did accept,_ B.B. mused, watching as the door to the temporary base opened and the person he was thinking about made her way into the base.

At the moment, he was the only one there as the others were helping Michal and Reyes set up things for the Yamato Alliance's attack on the Weapons Depot on Thursday. It was clear that even if they hadn't officially joined the Liberators, they were working well with Michal and Reyes. B.B. wouldn't be surprised if the Kozuki Resistance did end up joining the Liberators after they achieved their end of the deal with Unity.

Granted, capturing the Demon Prince, the current Viceroy of Area 11, was not going to be easy at best and downright impossible at worst.

He briefly wondered if he could, somehow, find a way to help them out but decided against it. They had been so focused on fulfilling their end of their bargain with Michal that they had forgotten why he was there to begin with. Another reason why he stayed was because he really was curious to know whether the Kozuki Resistance would actually fulfill their side of their bargain with Unity.

"Damn it. I've been trying to get your attention for the past few minutes," Kallen's voice snapped B.B. out of his thoughts and he turned his amber gaze to her. She was glaring at him with her arms folded across her chest, her blue eyes narrowed.

"Sorry. Was lost in my thoughts. What can I do for you?" he asked patiently.

"Where is everyone?" Kallen asked.

"Helping set up everything for Thursday. They've decided to observe from a distance because, according to Susumu, the Yamato Alliance leader—never did get his name nor do I care enough to learn it really—has a plan that won't so much as lead to a battle as a, sort of, hostage situation."

"What're you talking about?"

B.B. explained what he overheard earlier that day while Kallen was at Ashford Academy.

Kallen shook her head. "Bastards," she muttered. "Well, I guess I'll just have to wait 'till they get back."

"Why?"

"Found out something interesting at Ashford that I think Michal and Reyes will wanna know."

B.B. hummed, raising an eyebrow, but he said nothing as he watched Kallen sit down. Remembering that he wanted to learn more about Kallen before approaching her with the offer of Geass, he broke the silence. "May I ask you something?" he said.

Kallen, who was sprawled out on the ratty old armchair with her legs curled under her and her arm resting on the back of the chair, glanced at him. "What?" she said.

"What do you think of Princess Nunnally?" B.B. asked patiently after swiftly going over the possible questions that he could ask to ascertain the information he wanted to know.

Kallen narrowed her eyes. "Why do you wanna know?"

"Just curious. You attend school with her after all."

Kallen didn't believe him. He could see that in her eyes but she answered anyway. "She's a sweetheart and very friendly. Even with everything that's happened to her, she still able to smile and, in turn, make everyone around her smile too."

B.B. hummed. "And yet she's Britannian and a member of the Royal Family of the very country who invaded Japan."

Kallen scowled. "Just 'cause she's Britannian and a member of the Royal Family doesn't mean that she's like 'em," she snapped. "I don't care about that 'cause I've come to know her for who she truly is as a person, not as a Britannian. She, like the Student Council, is not like the typical Britannian who treats Numbers like crap all the time."

B.B. smiled and inclined his head. "Very good answer, Kallen," he said. "I am glad that you are able to see the shades of gray in this conflict. Not everything is clear cut black and white but so very few people are able to actually notice that."

Kallen blinked at him in confusion. "Um...thanks?" she said uncertainly.

"That was a compliment, Kallen," B.B. said and returned his gaze to the window.

 **. . .**

 _Viceroy's Office, Viceroy's Palace_

After visiting with Nunnally, and reassuring her that he was all right, Lelouch headed back to the Viceroy's Palace. Euphie had decided to move into the clubhouse a day early to comfort Nunnally since Lelouch had his duties to return to—something that Nunnally understood, even if she wanted him to stay—and Cornelia had agreed. When they reached his office, Cornelia stopped. "I will take my leave now if there is nothing important that requires my attention," she said.

Lelouch waved for her to go, smirking inwardly at the fact that he did, indeed, have the power to order his elder half-sister around. He wasn't going to take advantage of that, well, not entirely anyway. "Go ahead. I don't plan on doing much myself. I believe I have the rest of today free myself," he said.

Cornelia inclined her head once in acknowledgment before she turned around and strode away.

Lelouch walked into his office with Suzaku following him. He had been telling Cornelia the truth. The only thing he had to do was talk with Suzaku, likely over what happened during the interrogation. He was sure that his Knight wanted to question him about the orders he'd given to Tara.

He'd dismissed his Royal Guard, having only Jeremiah and Kay remain with him to guard him just in case outside the door. They were taking up positions on either side of his door while Suzaku, as always, remained at his side.

Which was probably a good thing considering just _who_ was in Lelouch's office when he entered it.

"Oh, good, you're back. I was wondering just when you would return."

Seated on the arm of his armchair with a slice of cheese pizza in her hands and an apathetic look in her eyes was the green-haired woman from Shinjuku, the same one that gave Lelouch his Geass power, the same woman who was also _shot in the head._

"Lelouch, is that the same girl from Shinjuku or am I hallucinating?" Suzaku asked, staring at the girl in shock.

"If you are then I am too," Lelouch said.

"I can hear everything you're saying, boyo, and, no, you are not hallucinating," the girl said with a shrug.

"How are you…?"

"...still alive?" The girl shrugged and smirked. "So how do you like the power that I gave you?"

Lelouch narrowed his eyes. "So it was you," he murmured.

"You don't like it?" the girl asked.

"Oh, no," Lelouch said dismissively, walking over to his desk and leaning against it. "It has definitely come in handy recently and speeds along my plans very well."

"Your plans?" the greenette raised an eyebrow.

Lelouch smirked but said nothing more, the smirk fading and his eyes narrowing even more. "Who are you exactly?" he said.

"I am C.C.," the girl said.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "Any relation to B.B.?" he asked.

C.C. scowled. "You've come into contact with _him?_ " she growled and the scorn was clear in her tone of voice. It was clear that she obviously didn't like B.B.

"I take it you two know each other," Lelouch said.

"Unfortunately," C.C. said, finishing off her slice of pizza. "And have hated each other for a long time. But that's not important." She hopped off the armchair and wandered toward the door to the office.

Lelouch quickly grabbed her arm. "What are you doing? You can't just waltz right out of here like this," he snapped.

"Well, do you expect me to sleep in your office?" C.C. drawled, raising an eyebrow.

Lelouch scowled in frustration. "How did you even get in here without anyone noticing?"

"I have my ways."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"But it is an answer." C.C. pulled her arm from his grip. "Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to go to sleep. Your room will do just nicely."

"You are not staying in my room," Lelouch snapped, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Just take the guest room next to mine for now and, for God's sake, use the side door so I don't have to answer questions about why there's a strange girl in my office."

C.C. hummed but headed for the side door anyway, disappearing through it.

Lelouch leaned back against his desk, gazing up at the ceiling of his office.

"Lelouch, what are you going to do? Are you really just going to let her stay here? And how in the world did she survive?" Suzaku said in puzzlement.

"I don't know. I really have no choice if I don't want people questioning just where she came from. And I have no clue," Lelouch answered, lowering his head and pushing away from his desk. "I'll just have to deal with that later." Not like he had much of a choice; besides, if that girl could hand out Geass then it would be best if he kept her close to him lest she fall into the hands of his enemies.

He also had a lot of question that he wanted answers to and hoped that this girl would answer them.

But he pushed that thought away for now and turned his attention to Suzaku. "You said you wanted to talk," he said.

"Oh, right," Suzaku said. It was clear the sudden appearance of that green-haired girl had made him momentarily forget that. "Those orders you gave Tara...why did you give those to her?"

"Do you honestly think I was just going to let an assassin leave? Even if I ordered her to not harm or kill another living being, I am not stupid enough to let someone who has her kind of power just waltz right out of here, especially not when she has the capability to escape. That was my insurance, my way of insuring that I have some measure of control over her or, more specifically, her power."

Suzaku stared at Lelouch as if he'd grown a second head. "Are you crazy? I mean I understand that last order but the others? Were they really necessary?"

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "I believe that's already an established fact, Suzaku," he said and turned his gaze to the window. "They were insurance orders just in case. I am not taking chances with that girl but her connection with B.B. will prove to be...helpful."

"Why?"

Lelouch didn't answer. He knew the only reason why he wanted to speak with B.B. again was because of their shared hatred of the Emperor. They hadn't parted on good terms but Lelouch hadn't exactly been in the right frame of mind when he first spoke with B.B., considering his little sister had nearly been assassinated and then had her sight restored by B.B. He hoped that they would be able to speak like civilized people if he could find him again.

Even if Tara had a falling out with B.B., Lelouch had noticed the way she spoke of B.B. It was faint but it was there. She cared for him and he was planning on exploiting that to draw him out.

Suzaku walked to Lelouch's side. "I don't approve of you using her like this, Lelouch," he said.

"She's lucky I didn't put a bullet through her brain, Suzaku," Lelouch said coolly, casting an icy glare at his Knight, though it wasn't directed at him.

Suzaku shivered, even though he knew that it wasn't him that Lelouch was angry with, and looked away. "Lelouch, is it really necessary to use this power of yours?" he said finally. "Are you really just okay with taking away everyone's free will?"

"Suzaku, what do you take me for? Do you honestly think I would use this power on everyone I come across? Have I used it on you? Or my Royal Guard? Or any of my men?" The truth was that he hadn't; frankly, he had made the decision a few days ago that he would only ever use his Geass when it became necessary. After all, he had planned to destroy Britannia before he'd obtained Geass and he'd started gaining the resources and allies that he would need to achieve his goal, as well as the reputation and political and military power that would aid him in his quest, before he'd obtained Geass.

"Have you?" Suzaku asked.

Lelouch jerked as if slapped and snapped his head around to glare at Suzaku. "Do you honestly just ask me that question, Suzaku?" he asked quietly, narrowing his eyes. "You swore your loyalty to me months before I got this power. My Royal Guard swore their loyalty to me months before I got this power. Do you truly think I would betray that loyalty by stripping any of you of your free will? Do you truly think so _lowly_ of me?" He wouldn't admit it out loud but he was hurt by his best friend's suspicions. Even if he was the Demon Prince, even if he did have the power to take over someone's mind, he wasn't cruel enough to use it on his own followers, who were already willing to _die_ for him if necessary. Suzaku was a prime example of that; he'd been nearly killed trying to protect Lelouch, _twice_.

Suzaku was silent for a long moment. "I'm sorry," he said finally. "I shouldn't have asked something like that. I just...this power...I'm having a hard time coming to terms with it and just what it does."

"It's not as if you're the only one, Suzaku," Lelouch said finally, turning his gaze back to the window. "I believe loyalty is something that someone must earn, not something that should be forced upon someone. I would rather someone choose to follow me, choose to follow my orders, than someone who is forced to follow me or my orders." He has always been that way, which was why he knew that he would never use his Geass to strip his Knight, Royal Guard, and men of their free will; he wanted them to follow and obey his orders of their own free will. Those kinds of bonds were much stronger and more difficult to break by treachery and it was those kinds of bonds that Lelouch needed if he wanted to ever destroy Britannia and get his revenge.

But he kept those thoughts to himself.

Suzaku nodded slowly. "I can respect that," he said. "I don't approve of this power, as I already told you, but..." He trailed off and shook his head. "Never mind."

"What?" Lelouch turned to his friend, raising an eyebrow. "What were you going to say?"

"It's nothing, my prince."

"Suzaku, we're alone. You don't have to refer to me as that when we're alone. Nor do you need to keep from speaking your mind. I've already told you that." Lelouch knew that his Knight was trying so hard to get Britannia to accept him, to prove that he was worthy of his position, worthy of being Lelouch's Knight, that he was forcing himself to act as a Knight even while they were in private. This conversation was one of the few times in recent weeks in which Suzaku had slipped up.

"Suzaku, if you want to tell me something then just tell me," Lelouch added in exasperation when Suzaku remained silent.

He still remained silent before he finally said, "I can't stop you from using this power, Lelouch, but...will you, at the very least, only use it when it's absolutely necessary?"

Lelouch hummed. "I was already planning on doing that, Suzaku," he said, now understanding why Suzaku hadn't wanted to voice his thought earlier. A Knight asking his prince to do something could be seen as disrespectful, once again highlighting just how much Suzaku was taking his role seriously in trying to always treat his prince with respect, even when they were in private. Either that or Suzaku just thought his request was disrespectful and, in the eyes of the vast majority of the Britannian nobility and the members of the Royal Family, it was.

Suzaku nodded slowly, a brief gleam of gratitude in his eyes before it faded. "At least Nunnally's safe," he said.

"She will remain safe as long as I have anything to say about it," Lelouch said, his gaze going back to the window and the cityscape that rolled out in front of him.

 **. . .**

 _March 28, 2017_

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

Nunnally was wheeled into the meeting room of the clubhouse by Adeline, looking around when she noticed that it was rather empty. She blinked, wondering if she was early for the meeting that Milly was holding that day. Two days had gone by since Nunnally's near breakdown after learning that Tara had escaped; even though she now knew that Tara was back in jail, that incident had triggered her nightmares to return. She was really thankful that she could see again because it meant that she wasn't waking up to darkness whenever she pulled herself out of her nightmares.

Euphie being there helped very much. Even though they didn't have the same classes, since Euphie was in the high school division while Nunnally was still in the middle school division, they did share the same apartment and, for the past two nights, the same bedroom. Nunnally was grateful that Euphie was willing to stay with her; usually, it was her big brother who comforted her when she woke up from bad dreams but she knew that Lelouch was very busy. That was why he hadn't been able to visit her the past two days, and she wasn't going to burden him by forcing him to drop his duties in order to take care of her

She didn't want to be a worthless, useless burden anymore.

Even now, Tara's hurtful words felt like slaps to the face and Nunnally knew that it was likely she was never going to really forget them.

But she honestly had no clue of just how she was going to stop being a burden for her big brother or for anyone.

She wanted to be helpful, to stop being a burden and actually be able to _help_ others rather than them always helping her, but she honestly had no idea how.

 _At least my therapy sessions with Mrs. Harper seem to be working, at least a little bit,_ she thought.

"Huh, looks like we're here first," Adeline commented, wheeling Nunnally over to the table.

Nunnally hadn't exactly been in the meeting room often since the assassination attempt over three weeks ago but when the clean up and repairs had been finished, she decided to give it a chance. She still didn't feel entirely comfortable in the meeting room by herself though, which was why she was grateful that Adeline was always with her. She liked Adeline; the golden-haired young woman was really nice and took her job as Nunnally's bodyguard seriously but also had a mischievous side that reminded Nunnally of Milly. It was a no wonder that those two got along as well as they did.

"Yeah," she said quietly as Adeline rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a couple of books. Now that Nunnally could see again, she had decided that she wanted to read actual books, not the Braille books that she had been reading, and she found that she enjoyed it a lot more.

"You okay, Nunnally?" Adeline asked as Nunnally flipped open the book to the page that she had left off on the night before.

"Fine. Just a bit tired. I didn't get much sleep last night," Nunnally said.

"Oh, why not?"

"Nightmares."

"Oh." Adeline pulled out a chair next to her and sat down. "Want to talk about 'em? My uncle always used to tell me that talking about nightmares helps a lot."

Nunnally smiled. "That's what my therapist says too." She turned her gaze to her book but didn't really see the words as she said, "I was dreaming about what happened three weeks ago, except that I kept seeing you or members of the Student Council or Big Brother being in Briana's place and I _saw_ it all. I didn't just hear it like I did three weeks ago, I actually _saw_ it." _And I am beyond grateful that I didn't get my sight back until_ after _that incident,_ she thought.

Adeline placed a hand on Nunnally's shoulder. "They're all safe and alive, Nunnally," she said, a soft, sad, understanding half-smile on her lips. "Your nightmares can't hurt you. They're just dreams. They'll go away eventually. It might take a while but they will go away."

"I hope so," Nunnally said.

The door to the meeting room opened and Nunnally and Adeline looked up as Rai poked his silver-haired head into the room. "Where is everyone?" he asked as he made his way into the room. Nunnally had to force herself to relax; she still wasn't completely comfortable around Rai, despite him being incredibly kind, but she was much more comfortable now than she was three weeks ago.

"I think they're running late," Adeline said.

"Oh." Rai sat down at the table and the three of them fell into an awkward silence. Rai was gazing at the table, a small frown on his lips, while Adeline was flipping through the other book that Nunnally wasn't reading at the moment. Nunnally read a few paragraphs of the book but the awkward silence was starting to bother her.

 _I can try talking to him. Just ask him how his day was. He's not going to hurt you and you've got Adeline if he does,_ Nunnally told herself, taking a deep breath and lifting her head to look at Rai.

"Um, how was your day, Rai?" she asked.

Rai tore his gaze away from the table to look at Nunnally with curious bright blue eyes. "Oh, uh, it was fine. How was yours?" he asked.

"Okay," Nunnally said.

Rai was silent for a long moment, then he said, "You don't like me, do you?"

Nunnally blinked in surprise, noticing faint hurt but also resignation in his eyes, his kind, innocent eyes. "No, it's not that I don't like you, Rai," she said, "I just...you're new and Tara was new and..." She trailed off.

"You're afraid of me and don't trust me because you think I'm gonna be like Tara because I'm new to the Student Council," Rai said. He didn't sound accusatory nor did he sound angry or upset, he sounded very matter-of-fact. "It's okay, though. I can understand that. I'd probably feel the same way if I were in your position." He gave her a gentle smile that Nunnally found herself returning.

"I am sorry," she said. "I'm trying, really, but..."

"It's okay," Rai said again. "No one gets over a traumatic experience right away. Sometimes it takes years but I was always that so long as you remember the good things in life, it can help you to come to terms with the bad." He then frowned, his brow furrowed in puzzlement. "I...don't remember who told me that though."

Nunnally was reminded that Rai was still suffering from amnesia. "Well, whoever told you that is pretty smart," she commented, paused for a moment and added, "And...they're right."

 _At least I'm able to talk with him. He really is nice, not at all like Tara,_ she thought.

"Yeah..." Rai trailed off and shook his head as if clearing his thoughts. "I just wish I could remember who told me that." He sounded sad as he said that.

Nunnally chewed on her lower lip, finding herself relaxing in Rai's presence for the first time since he joined the Student Council. She then said, "I'm sure you'll get your memories back soon."

"I hope so." Rai fell silent.

They were both silent for several minutes before Rai's gaze fell on Nunnally's book."What're you reading?"

Nunnally lifted the book up to show Rai the title. He blinked and smiled a little, recognition in his eyes. "I've read that series. I don't remember where or when but I'm positive I've read it before. I wish I could remember what it was about though. I'm surprised I remember reading it though." His brow furrowed in puzzlement again.

"Want me to give you a summary?" Nunnally offered almost shyly. He seemed to remember the series and that was a step in the right direction of regaining his memories and Nunnally found herself wanting to help him. She was still a tad bit uncomfortable around him, something that was likely not going to go way for a while yet, but she did want to help others so she decided that this was a good start.

"Um, sure," Rai said.

Nunnally smiled and slowly began to summarize the book series that she was reading.

 **. . .**

Milly approached the meeting room, shifting her grip on the folders in her hands, with the rest of the Student Council behind her, about an hour after the original meeting time. As she neared it, she was surprised when she heard laughter on the other side of the door and paused for a moment.

"You're kidding," Rai's voice said.

"Nope. He spent a good three hours in that tree just trying to avoid them," Nunnally's voice said, giggling.

Rai laughed again. "Why do I have this odd feeling Milly was behind that?" he said.

"Well, afterwards, he came into the meeting room, glared at Milly, called her a She-Devil, and then stalked off to his seat so it probably was her fault," Nunnally said.

Rai chuckled and then asked curiously, "Is she really a She-Devil? She seems really nice to me."

"She is. Big Brother calls her a She-Devil but I know he's not saying it to be mean or anything and Milly doesn't mind it," Nunnally said.

"What about the others? Has anything funny ever happened to them? Well...other than the kitchen incident two days ago."

"Well..." Nunnally was silent for a long moment. "Oh, yeah, I remember something that happened with Shirley and the giant pizza that Milly keeps trying to make."

"Giant...pizza?"

"Yeah. Anyway, Shirley kinda tripped, rolled down the hill, and crashed into Big Brother and both of them end up in the pizza sauce after it had been spread on the dough," Nunnally said.

Milly grinned at that memory, casting a sidelong glance at Shirley who'd gone red with embarrassment.

Rai burst out laughing. "Please tell me someone got pictures of that," he gasped.

"I'm positive Milly did. She hasn't shown 'em to me yet though."

Rai chuckled and the meeting room fell silent for a long moment before Rai broke it. "Hey, Nunnally?"

"Hmm? Yeah, Rai?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"Just...thanks."

Another moment of silence.

"Thank you too, Rai."

"For what?"

A soft giggle. "Just...thanks."

Milly decided, as the meeting room fell silent again, that now was the perfect time to intervene. "Hello early birds," she said cheerfully as she strode into the meeting room, grinning at Nunnally and Rai. Both of them were sitting across from each other at the table; Nunnally was folding some origami cranes while Rai was reading through one of Nunnally's books. Adeline was reading a book by Nunnally but lifted her head at the sound of Milly's voice.

Milly smirked wickedly at Rai and added, "By the way, Rai, I outta warn ya. Lelouch is one of them _extremely_ overprotective older brothers so if you're gonna try and court Nunnally, fair warning, you should try hard to get on Lelouch's good side first."

Rai went red and he started sputtering. "It's..that...I wasn't...what?"

Nunnally's own cheeks were slightly red and she shook her head. "Oh, yeah, _that's_ why Big Brother calls Milly a She-Devil," she said.

Euphie, who was the last one to step into the meeting room, tilted her head to the side. "Lelouch has a _good_ side?" she echoed.

"You make it sound like he's evil, Euphie," Nunnally said with a faint smile as Euphie sat down on her other side.

"Well, when it comes to potential boyfriends for you, I'm pretty sure Lelouch will turn into the Devil Incarnate," Milly said, grinning as she strode around the table and flopped into the seat at the head of it, dropping the folders as she did so.

"So sorry we were so late," she added. "Though I did text Adeline to tell her that our meeting was going to be an hour late."

Adeline blinked, reached into her pocket, and pulled out her phone. "Huh, I didn't hear my phone go off," she said, stuffing the phone back into her pocket.

"Well, no biggie. At least Nunnally and Rai got to have some semi-alone time," Milly said with a grin.

Rai's already red cheeks went redder. "Milly!" he groaned and his head thudded against the table as Milly laughed.

"Ah, I love teasing my friends," she said happily. "Well, time to get this meeting started. It's late enough as it is. Okay, we're just gonna be finalizing everything for the annual spring festival. We have less than three weeks to get everything finalized, get all the supplies, and get everything set up. I still need to find someone to pilot the _Ganymede_ to make the pizza. Lelouch did it last year, well, before he and Shirley ended up in the pizza." That had only happened because Lelouch had been taking a break to help out with some other duties while Rivalz and Nina had been getting some more ingredients.

"Anyway of getting Lelouch to do it?" Rivalz asked.

"He'd probably be too busy," Kallen said meekly.

"We can ask anyway," Milly said with a shrug. "That reminds me. I was thinking of going out of the settlement a week from Friday and we can all go! It'll be fun."

"I've never been out of the settlement before, well, except to go back to Pendragon but I don't think that really counts," Nunnally said.

"Well, we can ask Lelouch if you can come with," Milly said. "For now, let's get to work." She began handing out the folders, smiling inwardly as she watched Nunnally finish a blue origami crane and hand it to Rai.

Rai blinked at her but took it, quietly thanking her to which she gave him a quiet smile and went back to working on her own cranes.

Milly chuckled. _At least she's warmed up to Rai,_ she thought, thankful because that meant that Nunnally was starting to overcome what happened three weeks ago and that was good.

 **. . .**

 _March 30, 2017_

 _Viceroy's Office, Viceroy's Palace_

Lelouch yawned as he sorted through the paperwork on his desk. Four days had gone by since Tara's escape attempt and, as expected, she managed to use her Geass to get out of containment again. However, Lelouch had one of his Black Knights keeping an eye on her and it was clear that the commands he gave her were still implanted in her mind because she hadn't tried to go to Ashford Academy at all.

However, now he had to focus on his work. His first day in office had been pretty laid back but, in the days that followed, he started to get swamped with all the duties of Viceroy and commander of the Black Knights. Thankfully, with no terrorist threats at the moment, he didn't have much work with his regiment but his duties as the Viceroy, even with Cornelia's help, more than made up for his lack of military duty. It wasn't as if he wasn't expecting a lot of work when he became Viceroy, he knew that being Viceroy meant a lot of work, but that didn't mean that he enjoyed it nor did he find it particularly easy at times.

And it didn't help that he had a hell of a lot more to do now that Tara had escaped; even if he knew that was going to happen, that didn't make the paperwork and the appeasement of the public any easier.

And it was mind-numbing. Frankly, Lelouch was glad for the break in the monotonous routine of looking through, reading, and signing paperwork when a drenched and scowling Kay walked into the room with an apologizing Rayne, with a large towel in her hands, following him.

"I _said_ I was sorry," Rayne protested. "But it was a snake. A _snake!_ "

"It was fake," Kay said irritably.

"It didn't look fake."

"It wasn't even moving."

"So? It looked like a snake!"

Lelouch watched the entire exchange with a raised eyebrow. "Dare I ask what happened?" he said.

"Same thing as what happened at Hakodate, except, this time, it was a fake one," Kay said, taking the towel Rayne handed him.

"Oh and we have something for you, Lelouch," he added, glancing at his twin.

"Oh, right, forgot I had that. A guard gave it to us telling us that it was addressed to you. They've checked it for anything that might be dangerous but found nothing," Rayne said, removing a folded piece of paper from her uniform's pocket and, walking to his desk, handing it to him.

Lelouch took it, frowning at it but opened it up, reading it quietly to himself. It was written in kanji. Lelouch knew not very many people in Area 11 knew how to write kanji since it was banned. He figured that had been done to ensure that if the letter was intercepted, only a select few would be able to know what the letter says.

It was a risky move and, yet, a smart one as well since it played to the fact that only a small portion of the residents of Area 11 knew how to read that written language.

Granted, Lelouch had no idea how they knew that he was one of those people who could read kanji though.

 _Your Highness,_

 _As you must know by know, from the last message that we sent you online, we are not the ones that sent that death threat to you. However, if you still do not believe us, let this be a show of good faith. We have information that you may want to know._

 _The Yamato Alliance is planning on taking the class of Britannian students, who are attending a field trip at the Weapons Depot on the northwest edge of the Tokyo Settlement, hostage. This is in order to ensure safe passage once they procure the weapons they can get from the depot, we believe. It will be at noon._

 _Even if you do not believe us, I have no doubt that news of the attack at the depot will reach the news quickly. We just thought, as a show of good faith, that we would give you warning ahead of time._

 _Yours truly,_

At the end of the message was the crest of the Liberators.

Lelouch frowned at the letter. _The Liberators made it clear that they did not support the Yamato Alliance's attack on the edge of the settlement, and blamed them for happened in Shinjuku before Clovis ordered that massacre. Even so, why would they tell me about this?_ He hummed in thought. _The Liberators are rather unpredictable and mysterious. Little is actually known about them, at least, not in the media and even Dimitri hasn't been able to find much on them beyond what I already know. But, back on subject, what should I do about this?_

"Your Highness?" Jeremiah asked, breaking Lelouch out of his thoughts.

He glanced at the orange-eyed young man, humming absently in acknowledgment, his mind working through possible scenarios and possible plans. He could either wait until the Yamato Alliance's attack made the news in order to confirm that the Liberators were right or send some of his own men to check out the situation. If it was going to be at noon then Lelouch suspected that there would be some signs of preparations.

Or, at the very least, he could send word to the manager of the Weapons Depot so that they could set up countermeasures should that happen.

However, if the attack was going to be at noon, which was only about two hours away, then setting up countermeasures wasn't going to work. They wouldn't have enough time, and even less time if the Yamato Alliance had members watching the depot. That might prompt the Alliance to attack sooner or later or just call off the attack all together. It depended on what they were like and Lelouch only had the Shinjuku incident, and what happened beforehand, to go on.

"Jeremiah, what do you know about the Yamato Alliance?" Lelouch asked.

"Not much, Your Highness," Jeremiah said. "They're one of the largest resistances here in Area 11, though not nearly as large as the JLF, and they have their base in the Saitama Ghetto. We did manage to kill the Yamato Alliance's old leader a couple of years ago but, since then, the Yamato Alliance has gotten rather radical and bolder. They've been known to attack places where the civilians outnumbered the soldiers and not care if the civilians get caught in the crossfire of their attacks so long as they killed the soldiers."'

Lelouch narrowed his eyes. _Radical terrorists. Just what this area needs and yet radical terrorists are predicable to an extent. I may have an idea of just what they would do if I were to send word of warning to the manager of the depot,_ he thought. "What would they do if, hypothetically speaking, they had a plan to attack a depot at a specific time but the manager of said depot got wind of the attack beforehand and called in the military or set up countermeasures to protect them? Would they attack earlier or would they attack later? Or would they just not attack at all?"

Jeremiah looked thoughtful. "If they attack later then they would be able to lull the manager and the military into a false sense of security, which might give them the advantage," he said.

"However, if they attack earlier, it would fit in with their radical boldness," Lelouch pointed out. "We have to take into account their past actions as that will affect how they will react to this hypothetical situation."

"What about just not attacking at all, my prince? If their plans have been compromised then wouldn't they just try another day?" Suzaku said with a frown.

"Perhaps but, given how the Yamato Alliance has acted, based on Jeremiah's report, it's unlikely. It depends on just how arrogant the Yamato Alliance is," Lelouch said and stood up since he already had an idea of what would happen. If he could get there before the attack was launched then he would have the Alliance in checkmate; however, he was also keeping in mind that they were radical and bold and, if that message from the Liberators was to be believed, they were going to try to get hostages. "Jeremiah, have the Black Knights gather in the hangar. We will set out for that Weapons Depot now."

 **. . .**

 _Random Building, Northwest of the Weapons Depot_

Kallen peered at the Weapons Depot through her binoculars before casting a sidelong glance at Reyes who was typing away on his computer, his brow furrowed and Spanish expletives leaving his lips every now and then. Ohgi and Tamaki were sitting on either side of her, their own binoculars resting against their eyes as they observed the depot. They were currently on the roof of a building to the northwest of the Weapons Depot in the shadow of a taller building.

"There really isn't much defense around the depot," Ohgi said, lowering the binoculars. "Why wouldn't they better protect this place? Especially in light of the attack in Shinjuku."

"It's been a week since then," Michal commented. "It's possible that they have been lulled into a false sense of security. Why else would they willingly bring students on a field trip to the depot so close to the home of the very terrorist group that, supposedly, attacked Shinjuku. They possibly think that the 'supposed' terrorist group have gone to ground and they don't have to worry about them."

"Tch, arrogant Britannians," Tamaki huffed.

"I'm wondering if the Demon Prince is even going to act on that message you had Kallen send them," Inoue admitted.

Kallen remembered that. That had been rather nerve-wracking. She'd been tasked with delivering the message to the guards around the Viceroy's Palace. She had taken the day off school because she was 'ill' and gone to the palace in disguise; the last thing she wanted was for someone to recognize her. The prince would in an instant as would his Knight and his Royal Guard, since they've all met her before, but, thankfully, she was able to deliver the message and get away before anyone thought to question her on why she was delivering a message like that to the prince.

"It's possible," Michal said. "If anything, when the Yamato Alliance do attack, it will reach the news pretty quickly."

"Will it even be possible to get the prince in this instance?" Yoshida asked quietly.

"It depends entirely on what the Yamato Alliance have planned since Susumu and Taichi weren't able to get the full plan. Yasuo might be keeping some things to himself," Michal said and turned to Reyes. "Have you hacked into the surveillance system of the depot yet?"

"Almost. Damn, there are a hell of a lot of firewalls and security checkpoints that I'm struggling to get through. Wish Amber was here with us. She'd probably already be in the system by now," Reyes said with a huff and, swearing in Spanish again, went back to work.

The radio crackled to life. " _Susumu to base. Do you copy?_ " Susumu's voice called over the radio resting next to Michal.

Michal picked it up. "I read you. How are things going on your end?" he asked. Susumu and Taichi had been tasked with watching the members of the Yamato Alliance that were preparing to move and the path that the Black Knights were likely to take if they arrived respectively.

" _They are making their move. They will be arriving at the depot in about three minutes,_ " Susumu reported.

"Got it!" Reyes said with a grin and turned his computer around to show the different screens that had popped up on the main screen. There was one on the main entryway, one in the security room, one on the main floor where the weapons were being packed to be stored—this was where the students, from the middle school division from Ashford Academy, Kallen noted, due to the uniforms they were wearing, were currently located. She was grateful that Nunnally wasn't among them—two were focused on two different storage rooms for guns and ammo and grenades and chaos mines, and the last one was on the loading bay at the back of the depot where the empty armored vehicles used to transport the weapons to the Military Base.

"Which direction are they coming in, Susumu?" Michal asked.

" _North. That much I do know about the plan. They're going to slip into the loading bay during the shift change_ ," Susumu reported.

"All right. Keep me updated, Susumu," Michal said.

" _Roger,_ " Susumu said and Michal put the radio down.

Kallen returned her gaze to the binoculars that were still studying the Weapons Depot. She couldn't see into any of the windows, as they were too small and she was too far away, but she was able to make out the human forms that were moving toward the loading bay. She turned the binoculars, watching as a group of Britannian soldiers joined the group that was already on guard and they started talking.

Something flew through the air to crash into the ground, unleashing thick noxious green smoke, and, when the smoke cleared, all six soldiers were on the ground. Kallen frowned. "They gassed them," she said.

"Knockout gas?" Minami asked.

"Maybe," Ohgi said. "But it does give them the chance to get into the bay without anyone noticing. They'll have some time before security notices something's up, five or so minutes."

Kallen watched as a large group of men in the Yamato Alliance colors headed quickly for the loading bay. "They, certainly, aren't wasting any time," she said.

"They're in the loading bay and are heading for the hall. Shame I couldn't get eyes on the halls but I can guess their destination," Reyes said.

"The main floor where the students are," Ohgi said, brow furrowed and Kallen knew that he was probably even more worried about the students than the rest of the group. Even if they were Britannians, they were still teenagers and Ohgi had once been a teacher who taught all ages so for him to be worried for the students wasn't that big of a surprise.

"They'll be fine," she said, hoping that she was right. She didn't know much about the Yamato Alliance, only what Ohgi and the others had told her, but she hoped that they weren't heartless enough to actually kill those students if something happened.

Ohgi nodded, looking like he hoped that she was right.

She did too.

 **. . .**

 _Inside the Weapons Depot, Northwest of the Tokyo Settlement_

She slowly edged her way further into the shadowed corner she had moved into swiftly earlier between a stack of crates and boxes filled with spare parts for the weapons and the wall. The large group of men with dark yellow headbands around their heads or necks that had stormed their way into the main floor of the Weapons Depot were herding the rest of her classmates into the heart of the floor before taking all of their phones and then, on the orders of their leader, shooting all of them.

They had hesitated for a split second, something she had noticed right away, but they still did as they were ordered.

Sheep. They did everything they were ordered to do, even if they did not agree with it.

That much was clear by that slight hesitation.

They took no pleasure in ending so many lives but their leader, clearly, didn't care.

Despite that, she still had no idea why the leader had just had everyone in the room killed.

Perhaps so there would be no witnesses? It was possible.

She watched her classmates and her teachers fall to the ground, thankful that her friend wasn't in the class that had come on that field trip. The princess would have likely been caught in the crossfire, especially since she couldn't walk.

She tried to tear her gaze from the bloody scene but she found that she couldn't. She found that the only thing she could do was watch, watch as her classmates and teachers were taken from her.

That was all she could do.

She hated that she couldn't do anything but she had her own duties to perform and, unfortunately, getting killed would not help.

So that was what she did.

Watch.

 **. . .**

 _G1 Mobile Base, Southeast of the Weapons Depot_

Lelouch stared in horror at the scene that had been revealed the instant Dimitri gained access to the surveillance system. The students had all been killed, every last one of them; it hadn't been a hostage situation at all, contrary to what the Liberators had said. They were just herded there like cattle to be killed all together; they were nothing more than witnesses who needed to be silenced.

"This was their plan all along," Cornelia realized from where she was standing on the left side of Lelouch's throne. Suzaku, on his right side, looked horrified and sick at the same time, his emerald eyes wide with shock. "They were never planning on using the hostages as a bargaining chip to make a clean getaway."

"They've made their last mistake," Lelouch said coolly. "Jeremiah, Kay, take your squadrons and sweep that base. Wipe out every single one of those terrorists, except the leader. I want the leader alive."

"I will aid in this," Cornelia said. "They have shed Britannian blood. I will not let that go unpunished."

"By all means, Witch of Britannia," Lelouch said, not taking his eyes off the bloody scene, very reminiscent of the invasion of Japan with the number of bodies whose wounds were staining the floor red. "Do as you like but leave the leader alive. I want him to see the consequences of his actions."

Cornelia inclined her head before she turned, called for her Knight to join her, and strode off the bridge.

"If they surrender, Your Highness, what do we do?" Kay asked.

Lelouch's eyes were still locked on the bloody scene. "Should they surrender, arrest them," he said finally. "They can try their luck in court."

"Yes, Your Highness," Kay said and saluted before darting off the bridge and Jeremiah followed suit, shouting orders to his men as he did so.

 **. . .**

 _Random Building, Northwest of the Weapons Depot_

 _Dear God, what the hell have they done?_ Kallen thought silently, staring in horror at the bloody scene that had appeared on Reyes's screen, at all of the innocent students that the Yamato Alliance had just slaughtered.

"Oh now I am so hoping that Prince Lelouch slaughters them all," Reyes growled, eyes flashing with fury before he began swearing in Spanish again.

"I will be cheering him on the entire time," Michal agreed darkly.

Kallen tore her gaze away from the bloody scene, feeling sick to her stomach at the massacre that she was witnessing. She took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and released it slowly but it did little to quench the nausea that she was feeling.

"I can't believe they would go that far. They killed them all...for what reason?" Inoue said.

"I don't think there was a reason or they were just following their leader's orders," Ohgi said grimly.

"That just makes it worse," Minami said.

"Yeah. I mean, I know those kids were Britannians but damn! That was just going too far," Tamaki said with a shake of his head.

"Agreed," Sugiyama said grimly.

 **. . .**

 _Inside the Weapons Depot, Northwest of the Tokyo Settlement_

The girl watched as the Britannians stormed the room before she curled up, drawing her knees closer to herself and burying her face into her knees. She didn't move. She just remained there, not paying much attention to what was going on around her, her blonde hair curtaining her face.

She had just decided to utilize her power to get out of there and get to help right when the Britannians attacked and, while she was thankful that they were finally there, it was still too late to save her classmates.

She was also thankful that she wouldn't have to use her power. The last thing she wanted was these terrorists to find out about it.

As the shooting finished, she slowly uncurled her legs and shakily got to her feet, her legs felt tingly, telling her that they were fast asleep.

Slowly, she made her way toward the Britannians, holding her hands up to show that she was unarmed when they turned to her.

 **. . .**

Lelouch made his way toward the main floor of the Weapons Depot once he got confirmation that the Yamato Alliance were taken care of—none of them had surrendered, even though they had been given the chance; according to his knights, they were ordered not to surrender and, like sheep, had obeyed—the leader had been captured, and there was a survivor. Suzaku was walking on his right as usual and the rest of his Royal Guard were following him.

They entered the main floor and Lelouch grimaced as he took in the bloody scene and Suzaku's lips thinned, a horrified look still in his eyes. The Glaston Knights, Kay, and the 23rd Squadron, and Jeremiah's Squadron, formed from the remnants of the Purist Faction, were standing around the chamber. The leader of the Yamato Alliance was on his knees with Cornelia, Guilford, and Jeremiah standing around him. Kay was standing beside a girl with long blonde hair and red eyes that Lelouch figured was the survivor.

"Your Highness," Jeremiah greeted Lelouch with a salute.

"Jeremiah. This is the leader?" Lelouch said, walking over to join the terrorist leader.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"So, Demon Prince, looks like you've lived up to your name," the leader said coolly. "Slaughtering my men like this."

"Nothing less than what you deserve for murdering so many innocents here," Lelouch said coolly.

"They were simply a means to an end," the leader said with a shrug.

Lelouch's lips curled back in a scowl. "And what exactly was your end?" he said. "What could you have possible gained by doing all of this?"

"No witnesses," the leader said as if the people he had his men kill were nothing more than annoying flies to swat.

"They were innocent human beings," Suzaku said through gritted teeth.

"They were Britannians and stand in our way of liberating Japan. Not that you would know anything about liberating Japan, considering how willing you are to be the Demon Prince's bitch," the leader added.

Suzaku's jaw clenched and he looked away.

Lelouch's eyes narrowed. "I'd watch your tongue," he said.

"Why should I? I'm dead anyway. You seem rather protective of him. Does he warm your bed at night? Or are you _his_ whore?"

Suzaku's eyes narrowed. "Do not insult my prince with such innuendos," he said and Lelouch, who was bristling himself at the innuendo, marveled at how his normally rash best friend was able to keep a hold on his temper.

"Or what? You won't do anything unless your precious whore of a master tells you to like the bitch you are," the Yamato Alliance leader mocked. It was clear that he was goading Suzaku into reacting and, judging by how Suzaku was clenching his fists, it was working.

The leader noticed this and chuckled. "See what I mean? You won't do a damn thing unless he tells you to and he won't. Some Demon Prince. I bet his whore of a sister is just like him," he said.

Lelouch's eyes flashed but, before he could react, Suzaku lunged forward, slamming a fist into the leader's face, so hard that he heard the terrorist's jaw snap, and throwing the leader off his feet. "Don't you dare insult Princess Nunnally either," Suzaku growled, lowering his fist.

"Oh ho, looks like the bitch has some bite," the leader said with a pained laugh.

Lelouch was getting tired of dealing with this bastard but he wanted to know some information. This terrorist had a reason for what he did; even if he was a psychopath who killed these students just because they were witnesses, that was a reason and Lelouch wanted to know it. And since the terrorist wasn't very forthcoming with answers, he'd have to get them the only way he could now.

But he would wait until they were alone in one of the private interrogation cells in the military base, where no one would be able to see him use his new power.

"Jeremiah, I want you and your men to escort him back to the military base and to one of the interrogation cells. Do not let him escape," Lelouch ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah stated firmly and, glaring down at the terrorist, yanked him to his feet while the rest of his squadron formed up around him and they headed toward the entrance to the main floor.

Lelouch then turned, gazing at the girl who was standing, mutely, off to one side, her crimson eyes avoiding looking at the bodies. She looked vaguely familiar but he couldn't pinpoint where he'd seen her before. He walked over to join her, Suzaku mutely following, and she lifted her head before bowing. "Your Highness," she said quietly.

"You survived," Lelouch said simply. "How?"

"I hid myself as soon as the terrorists entered the building," the girl said. "It happened so fast and..." She trailed off.

"While I know it will not bring your friends, teachers, and classmates back, he will be brought to justice for the atrocity he committed here today," Lelouch said.

"I know, Your Highness. I'm just glad that he was caught," the girl said.

"What's your name?" Lelouch asked.

"My name's Alice, Your Highness, Alice Haliburton," the girl said. "You may have seen me around Ashford before since I'm in the same year as Princess Nunnally but we're in different classes."

Lelouch hummed, silently grateful that Nunnally hadn't been on that trip. He really hadn't been able to keep abreast of Nunnally's schooling due to his own work but he knew that Adeline would have contacted him about this field trip if only to inform him that it was happening.

"Kay, please escort Miss Haliburton to the G1," he said, glancing at the captain of the 23rd Squadron.

Kay nodded. "This may, Miss," he said and he and Alice left the main floor of the Weapons Depot.

 **. . .**

 _Interrogation Room, Tokyo Military Base_

After having the bodies in the Weapons Depot transferred out of the depot and the few severely wounded survivors transferred to the nearest hospital, Lelouch, Cornelia, and their Knights headed for the military base. Once they were outside the interrogation room in which was the Yamato Alliance's leader, Lelouch turned to Cornelia and asked her to sit the interrogation out. The last thing he wanted was for her to learn about his Geass power; she wasn't happy but she agreed, for which Lelouch was glad. Even if he could order Cornelia around, he did not want to do so all the time since he would rather have his elder half-sister as an ally and not someone who may end up resenting him because of that power he holds over her.

A power that he really didn't even want but the Emperor had given it to him for some reason so he would have to deal with it.

At least he was getting closer to having full control of Japan. Once that happened then he could start slowly going against the Emperor; it would be a long process and he was taking it slowly only because of Nunnally. So long as the Emperor knew where she was and could use her against him, he would play by the Emperor's rules, at least up front. He could still scheme in secret but a lot of his bigger plans would have to remain on hold until he could figure out how to prevent the Emperor from using Nunnally or worse.

Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, Lelouch entered the interrogation chamber with Suzaku behind him. The door slid closed and Lelouch took a seat in front of the Yamato Alliance leader who gave him a cool glare.

"Well, well, if it isn't the demon and his bitch," the leader spat coolly. "I ain't gonna talk if that's why you're here."

"Is that so? I am sure that I can change your mind quickly enough," Lelouch said, locking eyes with the leader. "After all,"—he activated his Geass—" _you do want to talk with me and will answer all of my questions truthfully._ "

The leader stiffened and then relaxed as his eyes gained a red ring around the irises. "I guess I do wanna talk after all," he said monotonously.

Lelouch leaned back in his seat. "Why did you attack the Weapons Depot?" he said.

"Because I wanted the weapons that the Liberators promised me."

Lelouch's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"The Liberators promised my organization weapons and resources if we attacked that lab on the outskirts of the settlement but they betrayed us and didn't give us what they had promised us. So I attacked the depot because I needed to stock up."

"Why did they break their deal with you?"

"They never said why."

Lelouch hummed. _Perhaps the Liberators used the Yamato Alliance as a means to an end but had no intention of actively helping them because it would go against their unwillingness to cause civilian causalities but why?_ He thought.

He decided he would think about that later and, instead, focused on what happened today. "Why did you have your men kill those students?" he asked.

"So there will not be any witnesses. I was not expecting you to show up as early as you had," the leader said.

"So you were planning on killing those witnesses, grabbing the weapons, and leaving before I got there?"

"Yes."

Lelouch narrowed his eyes again but stood up, breaking eye contact and watching as the red ring vanished from around the Yamato Alliance's leader's eyes. _Hmm, it seems to only stay active if I'm maintaining eye contact. That explains why it turned off, so to speak, when I broke eye contact with Tara but reactivated when I said the trigger word though I was not maintaining eye contact,_ he thought.

He turned and left the interrogation room, issuing orders to have the terrorist moved to a secure cell until his trial. Cornelia had disappeared but, according to Tadashi, she'd gone to check on the status of the relocation of the dead and wounded from the depot.

Suzaku was being quiet though, Lelouch noticed and he turned to face his Knight. "What's the matter, Suzaku?" he asked.

Suzaku hesitated. "I'm sorry, my prince," he said.

"What for?"

Suzaku's brow furrowed a little. "For acting without orders earlier," he said.

"Don't worry about it, Suzaku," Lelouch reassured him since he probably would have done something similar, if not worse, had Suzaku not gotten to him first. As it was, that insult still caused him to simmer with anger but he shoved it aside for now. "Let's get back to the palace."

Suzaku nodded and the two, with portions of Lelouch's Royal Guard behind them, headed for the entrance to the military base.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: I may have gone overboard with the Yamato Alliance and what they did so sorry about that. But I get to introduce Alice (and, before anyone asks, yes, Alice is the same Alice from** _ **Nightmare of Nunnally**_ **) so that's good. She may not play a large role in the plot but she does play a role**

 **Bakura: whatever**

 **Lelouch: what will happen next?**

 **Blaze: Lake Kawaguchi. That is all I shall say**

 **Lelouch: I see. Should I be worried?**

 **Blaze: nah.**

 **Lelouch: … Why do I have this feeling you are not being completely truthful?**

 **Blaze: so I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Lelouch: the sudden change of subject makes me even more suspicious**

 **Blaze: psh (waves hand dismissively) I don't know what you're talking about. Anyway, reviews, as always, are much appreciated.**


	36. A Vacation Gone Wrong

**Thank you to _Blacksword Zero, nexus4123, Lulu Blackstar, B-Kira, DYnoJackal19, harlequin320, chimera629, Stickman629, Shadow-Shinobi666, Imperial warlord, god of all x2, MichaelJCaboose007, F.C.C.S, Wisegirl12xx, ASTARCRAFTPLAYER, Frost5, MOR the Divine Being, OBSERVER01,_ and _Shmmering-Sky_ for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter and, as usual, reviews are much appreciated.**

 **. . .**

 _July 22, 2016_

 _Main Base of the Japan Liberation Front, Narita, Area 11_

 _"_ _This is Diethard Ried, reporting live from Sapporo on Hokkaido Island where I have just witnessed a miracle and the birth of the Demon Prince of Britannia!"_

 _Josui Kusakabe narrowed his eyes at the proclamation of the Britannian. The battle that he and the rest of the Japan Liberation Front had been watching since it began airing had just ended and Kusakabe was beginning to get irritated. Not so much by what he had just witnessed but more because Katase and Tohdoh were still refusing to do anything about it._

 _"He's a dangerous enemy. We should do something!" he exclaimed, turning to gaze at General Katase and Kyoshiro Tohdoh, the latter of whom was meditating with his eyes closed._

 _"What, exactly, should we do, Josui-_ san _," Katase asked warily as he watched the scene on the television screen. When he saw that it drifted back to the main announcer, he muted the television._

 _"I dunno but we've gotta do something!"_

 _"I'm wary of going against Prince Lelouch right now, not when he has such a win on his track record. He won against the Liberators. Do you think we will stand a chance against him?" Katase asked._

 _"Tch. You talk like a coward, Katase. Where's the fearsome warrior that you once were?"_

 _Katase's jaw clenched. "All I'm saying is that we cannot hope to defeat Prince Lelouch without having a plan, especially not when he has proven himself a brilliant strategist. His win over the Liberators is proof of that," he said._

 _"Sounds like excuses to me," Kusakabe said with a scowl. "Even if we don't launch a full-scale battle against Britannia, we should still make a statement! Show Britannia that the Japanese are not dead yet!"_

 _"And how exactly do you suppose you're going to do that?" Tohdoh asked quietly, breaking into the conversation, though he kept his eyes closed._

 _Kusakabe faltered and he gritted his teeth because he knew the Miracle Worker was right. He didn't have a plan. "I'll come up with one," he said. "One that will allow us to make a statement to Britannia. We will show them that the Japanese are not dead yet and that we will continue to fight for Japan's freedom, no matter what it takes."_

 _Without another word, Josui Kusakabe turned and strode out of the room, his mind already coming up with possible plans to make his statement against Britannia loud and clear._

 **. . .**

 **36**

 **A Vacation Gone Wrong**

 _April 4, 2017_

 _Ashford Academy_

Friday dawned with an overcast sky that promised rain but Adeline barely noticed it as she leaned against the railing, her phone resting on her ear as she folded her arms across the top of the railing. "They really did that?" she asked, brow furrowing in surprise. "I thought they were going to use them as hostages."

" _So did we,_ " Michal said.

"And Prince Lelouch destroyed them?"

" _That's what it looks like. According to the logs and reports that Reyes managed to obtain by hacking into the system, the Black Knights were ordered to kill anyone who fought against them and arrest anyone who surrendered._ "

"And no one surrendered?"

" _It doesn't look like it._ "

Adeline whistled. "Man, they sure were stubborn sheep. I don't know whether to feel glad that we won't have to deal with people like the Yamato Alliance any more or scared because of what happened to them," she said.

" _A mix of both might be best,_ " Michal admitted. " _Not that I really care about what happened to them but we'll have to tread carefully around the prince. The last thing we want to do is to incur his wrath upon us, especially not since Unity does want to, somehow, get his support sometime in the future._ "

Adeline sighed, gazing over the railing to where Prince Lelouch was leaving the Clubhouse with his knight at his side. "Can we really get his support?" she asked.

" _Unity thinks that if we can confirm his suspicions and learn more about him, and it turns out that he does resent his family and Britannia, then we will be able to gain his support,_ " Michal said.

Adeline sighed, brushing a strand of golden hair out of her face as she watched the orange-haired form of Shirley dart out of the clubhouse to Lelouch's side. She took his hand and said something that Adeline was too far away to hear and Lelouch shook his head before saying something himself. He then lifted Shirley's hand to his lips and gently kissed the back of it before saying something else as he released the hand. He walked away, waving at a blushing Shirley who was joined a moment later by a grinning Milly.

"This is all riding on whether he resents his family and Britannia enough to turn against them and I just don't know if he does," she said softly and ran a hand through her hair before deciding to change the subject and finish the conversation. She shouldn't leave Nunnally alone for far too long since she was her bodyguard. The last thing she wanted was to get on the bad side of the prince, especially not if she wanted to prove herself and get closer to the prince to obtain more information. "So has anything happened?"

" _Not really beyond what happened at the Weapons Depot. Thankfully, no one is pinning the blame on us but that's only because Unity released a message to the media letting everyone know that we had no knowledge of what the Yamato Alliance had done nor do we have any ties with them. I don't know if it will work but it seems to be working so far,_ " Michal said." _Also, Kallen and B.B. are spending more time together recently but she only said that he's asking her a lot of questions for some reason. Ohgi hasn't decided whether he and the Kozuki Resistance will join the Liberators or not. Unity is getting worried because of the lack of movement from Nightfall but, other than that, nothing's happened._ "

"It really is odd that Nightfall hasn't made a move since December. I mean, I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth but what's he waiting for?" Adeline said in confusion.

" _Something big, possibly. Perhaps it will have something to do with that Sakuradite conference at the Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center Hotel that's happening next week. It would be an ample opportunity, even if the prince won't be attending,_ " Michal said.

"Next weekend? That's when Milly's taking the entire Student Council on vacation there, if I remember right," Adeline mused thoughtfully. "Nunnally wants to go and I have no doubt that she'll be able to convince Lelouch to let her go so I'll have to go with her as her bodyguard."

" _If you do end up going there, let me know and we'll set things up so that we'll be able to provide backup should it be necessary,_ " Michal said.

"Understood. Tell Brother that I say hi. I'd best go. Bye, Michal," Adeline said and hung up before heading toward the stairwell.

She made her way over to the clubhouse and entered it before heading toward the meeting room where she knew everyone, but Milly and Shirley, were gathered; the aforementioned girls were still outside as Adeline had overheard Milly still teasing Shirley about something.

She walked into the room and took a seat beside Nunnally who gave her a small smile in greeting. "How was your talk with your uncle?" she asked.

"It was nice. I haven't really had time to talk with him all that much so it was nice to hear his voice again," Adeline said.

"At least you were able to talk with him and I got to spend time with Big Brother," Nunnally said with a bright smile before she frowned.

Adeline noticed the look but she wasn't the only one and Rai, who was sitting on Nunnally's other side attempting to fold an origami crane, glanced at her. "Is everything okay?" he asked softly, kind blue eyes filled with worry.

Nunnally shook her head and then smiled at Rai. "Yeah, I guess..." she trailed off and sighed. "I guess I'm just worried. Big Brother...he looked so tired and stressed today and, according to Suzaku, he hasn't been sleeping much since that terrorist attack four days ago."

"He is the Viceroy. That does have a lot of duties and responsibilities attached to it," Rivalz pointed out.

"I know but the way he looked, it's almost as if he's been working practically nonstop since he was sworn in, not even stopping to rest. Even his visits here are shorter than usual and not as often as they used to be. I understand that he has his duties and responsibilities to take care of but...I just fear that he's taking too much on his shoulders and he's gonna collapse under the pressure," Nunnally whispered, folding her hands together in front of her as worried bluish-purple eyes gazed at the table.

"You know, he does look stressed and tired, more so than usual in the past couple of days," Euphie admitted, brow furrowing in thought. "I think he needs a break."

The door opened at that moment and Adeline turned her gaze to it to find a red-faced Shirley and Milly making their way into the meeting room. Shirley took her seat on Kallen's other side while Milly sat at the head of the table, her gaze fixed on Nunnally. "Everything okay, Nunnally? You look really worried," she said.

"She's thinking about Brother Lelouch," Euphie explained, stretching out an arm over Rai's, as she was seated on Rai's other side, and placing a hand on Nunnally's arm. The sandy-brown haired princess placed her hand on Euphie's and gave her a slight smile, though her posture still suggested she was worried.

"I, personally, think that he needs a break," the pink-haired princess added.

Milly tapped her finger to her lips. "You know what? I think you're absolutely right!" She said. "He really did look tired and stressed; he needs to relax and just let go for a little while, catch up on his sleep!" She then grinned at Shirley and added, "Wouldn't want him falling asleep in the middle of your next date, eh, Shirley?"

Shirley blushed before she shook her head. "He really did look tired when we were talking," she said softly.

"Well, that settles it! Lelouch is coming with us to Lake Kawaguchi!" Milly declared.

Silence descended on the meeting room; it was so still that one could hear a pen drop.

"What?" Rivalz said. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Milly? I mean, he's a prince and the Viceroy. Not only would we be hounded by the media the entire time but he's also the _Viceroy_."

"He needs a day off or he's gonna just collapse from exhaustion if nothing else," Milly said firmly, folding her arms across her chest.

"I agree," Euphie said with a nod. "It'd only be one day and I'm sure Sister can handle his duties for a day. I can ask her; besides, I'm sure she'll agree that Brother Lelouch needs a break."

"Besides, he can always go in disguise," Adeline pointed out. "I mean if Nunnally's going then I have no doubt that the prince will not let Nunnally go unless she's in disguise."

"And I'll have to go in disguise myself anyway so why not? It's just one day," Euphie said.

"I dunno..." Rivalz sighed. "I suppose we could ask."

"That's the spirit! Who knows? He might say yes!" Milly said cheerfully.

Euphie looked at Nunnally and grinned.

Nunnally gave her a small smile in return.

Adeline, noticing the two knowing glances that the two princesses exchanged, had this odd feeling that the prince wouldn't really get any say in this decision.

 **. . .**

 _April 5, 2017_

 _Lelouch's Office, Viceroy's Palace_

Lelouch jolted out of the doze he'd unintentionally slipped into at the sound of someone knocking on his door. Rubbing his eyes and putting down the pen that he'd been holding in his right hand, he straightened up, covering his mouth as he yawned with his left hand. "Come in," he called.

He really was rather tired. Ever since the destruction of the Yamato Alliance five days earlier, Lelouch had been practically throwing himself into finding out as much as he could about the Liberators as well as the other resistances in the area. With the Yamato Alliance's attack, Lelouch was starting to feel a bit paranoid after the relative silence that came from the other resistances in the area; the Liberators hadn't made a move since they sent that message to him, Nightfall had as of yet to make an appearance since that message he left in December, and the other terrorists seemed to have vanished all together.

It made Lelouch jumpy, especially that message from Nightfall. _Why hasn't he attacked yet? Is he really attempting to lull me into a false sense of security before striking? Or, maybe, the Liberators have something to do with why he isn't attacking? Unless they are helping him and their telling me that they do not want me dead is just to draw me into that lull of false security. But why would they tell me about the Yamato Alliance? Unless that was also only to get on my good side before they turned around and stabbed it._

Lelouch just didn't know. He knew that many of his thoughts was likely just his paranoia, a paranoia that had been heightened since the incident with Tara, but he couldn't get them out of his mind. It was why he was trying to find any and all information and try to find out just what the terrorists around Area 11 were up to.

That wasn't the only thing that he was dealing with either. He was also trying to track down B.B. and deal with an annoying green-haired witch named C.C. who absolutely refused to answer most of Lelouch's questions.

And, of course, he also had his duties as Viceroy of Area 11 and dealing with the aftermath of the Yamato Alliance's vicious massacre of those Britannian students and his subsequent annihilation of the Yamato Alliance. That was a heck of a lot of paperwork and written condolences that he had to get through.

Needless to say, Lelouch was feeling overworked again.

Not that he was complaining, out loud, because he knew he had to get it done. He couldn't become lax or lazy in his work and had to keep working as hard as he possibly could because he knew that the Emperor would not tolerate that. And he had, as of yet, figured out a way to keep Nunnally safe from the Emperor; if he could accomplish that than he might gain some more freedom to work through his own plans regarding his goal.

A cough sounded, reminding Lelouch that someone had come to speak with him and he, pulling himself from his thoughts, turned to gaze at the newcomer, a bit surprised when he found both Euphie and Nunnally in front of his desk. Adeline was leaning against the wall by the door to the office, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes fixed on the windows behind him.

"Nunnally? Euphie? What are you doing here?" he asked surprised. He hadn't realized school had already let out for the day.

"We came here to see you, Big Brother," Nunnally said with a smile. "You look tired. Did you get any sleep last night?"

"I'm fine, Nunnally," Lelouch reassured her even if he had only gotten a couple of hours of sleep the night before, and that was only because of Suzaku's and Jeremiah's badgering. They had done that the other times that Lelouch nearly fell asleep at his desk, or attempted to pull all-nighters in the few weeks it's been since he became Viceroy.

Nunnally didn't look convinced.

"Oh, we also came here to ask you a couple of things," Euphie said, clasping her hands together and smiling. "First off, Milly's taking the Student Council to Lake Kawaguchi."

"And I wanna go with," Nunnally said.

Lelouch narrowed his eyes. He may trust Milly with Nunnally, and the Student Council to a lesser extent, but that didn't mean he trusted anyone else around Nunnally, especially not when her identity as a princess was now public knowledge.

"Before you say no," Euphie said quickly as if expecting Lelouch to say that; considering she and Cornelia were the only two of Lelouch's half-sisters that he tolerated while growing up and, thus, knew him better than the others did, he wasn't that surprised. "We'll take precautions. Adeline will be going with us and both Nunnally and I will be in disguise. It's not like she's going to be the first girl in a wheelchair to go on vacation."

"Milly's already coming up with a disguise like a wig, glasses, and different clothes, that kind of thing," Nunnally added.

Lelouch continued to study them, a small frown on his lips. "I don't know. You've never been out of the Tokyo Settlement before, except to go to Pendragon, and I'm not sure I feel comfortable letting you leave."

"Don't you trust Milly and the Student Council, Big Brother?" Nunnally asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.

"Yes but I don't trust anyone else," Lelouch said.

"Then why don't you come with?" Euphie suggested.

Lelouch's head snapped to Euphie and he narrowed his eyes again. "Euphie, I have my duties as Viceroy to attend to. I cannot take a vacation, especially not at a time like this," he said.

Euphie sighed and planted her hands on her hips. "You need rest and you need to relax," she said firmly. "We're not blind, Lelouch. We know that you've been rather stressed lately and overworked and haven't been getting enough sleep lately. The dark circles under your eyes is proof of that."

"Euphie, I am far too busy to take a day off," Lelouch said.

"Please, Big Brother. It's just for one day. You could use the break and we could spend some time together as a family. Of course Suzaku will come too," Nunnally said and flashed him the puppy-dog-eyed look that Lelouch could never say no too. Not that he didn't try but, when Euphie joined Nunnally in flashing those dreaded puppy-dog eyes that Lelouch couldn't say no to, he knew he was fighting a losing battle.

"Fine!" Lelouch said with a sigh. Then he thought about it and added, "But only if you can convince Cornelia to take over my duties as Viceroy for the day."

"Deal!" Euphie said and bolted out of the room.

Lelouch blinked and sighed, knowing that Euphie had Cornelia wrapped around her little finger, much in the same way that Nunnally had _him_ wrapped around her little finger.

 **. . .**

Convincing Cornelia had not been that hard. Euphie had her wrapped around her finger and, with Nunnally helping Euphie convince Cornelia to do what she wanted, it only made it easier. But then, Nunnally noticed that Cornelia didn't seem opposed to the idea even before Euphie had put on the puppy dog eyes. She was sure that her elder half-sister had noticed just how tired and overworked Lelouch was just as she and Euphie had.

"Great, thanks Sister," Euphie said with a big grin and then darted out of the room.

Adeline took control of Nunnally's wheelchair and followed the excited pink-haired princess as the three of them returned to Lelouch's office. They found him watching Tadashi with exasperation in his eyes, one hand holding his pen between his fingers while the other was resting on his desk. Tadashi was currently flopped, upside down, over an armchair with his legs on the back of the chair and his head resting on the floor and he seemed out cold.

"Um, what happened, Big Brother? We weren't gone for that long," Nunnally said confused.

"I have no idea," Lelouch said. "He just came in, sat on that armchair like that, and passed out."

"I think he might've had something to drink or something," Rayne said, peering at Tadashi's face. "Yeah, he looks a little flushed. Dunno if that's caused by drinking or not though."

"I sure hope not. Drinking on the job? He could get arrested or, worse, demoted," Lila said.*

Everyone looked at her.

"Um, I think you have your priorities a little backwards there, Lila," Rayne said with a sweatdrop.

Lila flushed in embarrassment.

"I didn't drink nothing," Tadashi grumbled. "I just got a bit of a…" He sneezed violently and started coughing, "...cold and..."—he yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes—"accidentally took nighttime cold medicine instead of daytime so I'm kinda...outta it." He yawned again and not once did his eyes open.

Lila moved forward and rested a hand on Tadashi's forehead, humming in thought. "It's more than a cold. You have a fever."

"Does that explain why I feel hot?"

"Probably."

"Though I have to wonder, just how did you end up in that position to begin with?" Kay said bewildered.

"I dunno. It's comfortable."

Everyone stared.

Tadashi either didn't notice or just ignored it.

Nunnally, remembering why she was there, turned her attention to her big brother. "Oh, by the way, Big Brother, we talked with Sister Cornelia," she said.

"Oh? And what did she say?" The amused resignation in Lelouch's tone told Nunnally that he likely already knew what she was about to say but she said it anyway.

"She said that you need a break and that she'll take over your duties for the day while you and Suzaku come with Euphie and me to Lake Kawaguchi," Nunnally said with a beaming smile, her bluish-purple eyes bright with excitement. Not only was she excited to spend some time with her big brother but she was also excited to be leaving the Tokyo Settlement. According to Adeline, that was another reason why Milly scheduled the trip when she had; she thought that it would help Nunnally if she had a change of scenery.

And Nunnally was inclined to agree.

"Isn't that wonderful, Big Brother?" She added, clapping her hands together and smiling brightly.

Lelouch smiled faintly back. "Who else is going?" he asked.

"Umm." Nunnally turned to Euphie who tapped her finger to her lip in thought.

"Well, I'm going and naturally Adeline will be going. Nina, Milly, Shirley, and Rai are the only other ones that are going; Rivalz had to work and Kallen had a doctor's appointment that day so she can't go," the pinkette said.

Lelouch hummed but nodded. "This Friday?" he asked.

"Yup. We're leaving around noon this Friday and then coming back Saturday afternoon," Nunnally said. "Oh I am so looking forward to this! This is going to be so much fun! I hope we have a good time."

"I'm sure we will, Nunnally."

"Does this mean we get those two days off too?" Rayne wondered out loud.

"I highly doubt it," Dimitri said.

"I will inform Cornelia that if she has need of your assistance for any reason then you will aid her as you would aid me but, unless she calls upon you to help her, you will have leave for those days. Keep your phones on at all times just in case," Lelouch said.

"Oh I hope nothing bad happens 'cause I really want a day off," Rayne said with a grin.

"Don't jinx us, Rayne," Kay said dryly.

"I'm not going to jinx us," Rayne whined.

"Will you please stop talking so loudly? My head hurts," Tadashi whined.

Lelouch waved a hand toward Tadashi. "Go and get some rest, Tadashi, and see if sleeping helps at all. You have leave for the rest of the day," he said.

"Thanks, Lelouch," Tadashi said, flipping his legs off the back of the armchair and getting to his feet, only to fall backwards into the armchair. "Ow. Note to self: don't do that. And why's the room spinning?"

"You got up too fast," Lila said.

"Oh."

 **. . .**

 _April 7, 2017_

 _Westbound Train_

"We have a lot of people accompanying us. Are you sure we'll be able to fit everyone into one compartment? Or should we just get two?" Shirley asked, looking at Milly uncertainly.

"Hmm." Milly tapped her finger together as she observed the compartment. "It looks like we'll be able to fit six in this compartment alone, even with Nunna. So...there are nine of us and six spots." She grinned brightly and turned to Shirley and the orangette had this odd feeling that Milly had a scheme in her mind, and one that she likely didn't want part of.

"Um, Madame President?" she said uncertainly.

"Ah, don't worry 'bout it. I've figured everything out," Milly said brightly.

"H...How?"

"You'll see!"

"O...Okay?"

Nina arrived and greeted them quietly as Milly took her luggage and put them in the compartments above the seats. Rai came next and Adeline, Euphie, Nunnally, Suzaku, and Lelouch, all dressed in casual clothing and disguised to hide their appearance, arrived at once. Euphie's hair was in a ponytail and she had a pair of glasses over her eyes, Suzaku and Lelouch wore caps on their heads and sunglasses over their eyes, and Nunnally had her hair tucked into a sunhat and her eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses as well.

"Well, you definitely gonna blend in with the rest of us," Milly said. "Well, the train's gonna be leaving any minute now so let's get situated."

Lelouch, taking control of Nunnally's wheelchair, moved her into the compartment and got her situated near the door, strapping the wheelchair in place so that it wouldn't be jostled during the turns. Nunnally smiled at Lelouch as he straightened up and took a seat beside her. Suzaku slipped into the compartment to sit down beside him and Milly pointed to Nina and Rai.

"You two, you'll sit with me," she said and all but pushed the confused white-haired boy and dark-green haired girl into their seat. Once they were seated, Milly turned to Adeline, Euphie, and Shirley and beamed brightly.

"I know exactly where you're going, Shirley," she said brightly and, grabbing Shirley's arm, tugged her into the compartment.

"What…? Madame President, what are you…?" Shirley broke off as Milly turned her around and pushed her backwards into Lelouch so that she was sitting on his lap.

"M...Madame President!" Shirley cried, her cheeks going red. She didn't know for sure but she was positive that Lelouch was in shock himself.

"Perfect. Now...Euphie...hmm...Eh, can't be helped." Milly gently pulled Euphie into the compartment and proceeded to push her straight onto Suzaku's lap.

Suzaku yelped, his face going bright red, while Euphie's own cheeks went red. "M...Milly?" they both cried.

Adeline studied them, shrugged, sauntered over to Rai, and sat down on his lap.

The white-haired boy sputtered, looking about ready to pass out, his cheeks bright red.

"Well, that worked out quite well," Milly said, clapping her hands together and flopping into the only available seat left, which was next to Nina, who was in between her and Adeline and Rai.

"I...I...this...I can't..." Suzaku stuttered out, holding his hands above his head as if trying hard to not touch Euphie in a way that some might consider inappropriate.

"I...I'm sorry about this, Lulu," Shirley gasped, twisting her head to look at Lelouch. She had to admit she was surprised to see that, while Lelouch had recovered from his shock quickly, his cheeks were still a little red.

"I have a feeling this was Milly's plan all along," Lelouch said.

"I...I can sit on the floor," Suzaku stuttered.

"No...I can sit on the floor," Euphie insisted. Shirley could hear the quaver in her tone and see that the blush was still on her cheeks.

"No, I insist, Euphie, er Your Highness. A princess shouldn't sit on the floor," Suzaku insisted.

"Neither should you and didn't I say to call me Euphie?"

"It's better if I sat on the floor rather than you."

"I won't let you sit on the floor."

"And I won't let you sit on the floor, Your Highness."

The two of them stared at each other with pure stubbornness in their eyes.

"Well, then it's settled," Milly said, clapping her hands together. "You'll just remain like that until we reach Lake Kawaguchi! Problem solved!" She completely ignored Suzaku's protests.

Rai had stopped sputtering but he was now staring at nothing with bright red cheeks; Shirley wondered if the poor boy had gone into shock.

The train started moving before anyone could say anything else. It jostled down the tracks and Shirley squeaked when she felt herself jostle to the side but Lelouch's slender arms suddenly wrapped around her waist, holding her in place. "L...Lulu?" she stammered out.

"You'll be steadier this way," Lelouch said.

Suzaku had done the same to Euphie, though he looked greatly uncomfortable and always made sure his hands were only resting on Euphie's stomach. "S...Sorry but...I don't want you to fall or anything like that," he stuttered out.

"T...That's okay," Euphie stammered out herself.

Adeline, for herself, just leaned against the window to keep herself steady since poor Rai still seemed to be in shock. "I think I might've broken Rai," the young golden-haired girl said, casting a glance at the white-haired boy.

"Ah, he'll be fine," Milly said, waving a dismissive hand.

"Hopefully so."

 **. . .**

 _Mount Odake, Area 11_

Kallen made her way down the hallway of the new base of operations for the Japanese Cell of the Liberators. After the destruction of the Yamato Alliance, Unity had decided that the Kozuki Resistance would be allowed to join Michal's cell of the Liberators, even though they hadn't fulfilled their end of the bargain yet. After much discussion with the rest of the Kozuki Resistance, who were all in agreement, Ohgi decided that they would join, especially when Unity and Michal agreed to let them maintain their name and their independence.

They wouldn't be an official cell of the Liberators, unless they changed their mind in the future, but the Liberators would help the Kozuki Resistance so long as, in turn, the Kozuki Resistance helped the Liberators.

And that was why the were currently in the new base for Michal's cell, heading toward the command post at the heart of the base. Their base was a large cabin near the peak of Mount Odake, which was located west of the Tokyo Settlement. While the cabin didn't look like much on the outside, it was bigger on the inside; according to Michal, he managed to buy it off a rich former Japanese nobleman who used to use it as a vacation home. How that happened, Kallen didn't know but she wasn't really complaining.

"So why are we here?" Tamaki wondered.

"Michal just said he wanted to talk to us," Ohgi said.

"Wonder about what?" Sugiyama said.

"Maybe our next move or something like that? I mean we haven't really made a move since we tipped the Demon Prince off to what the Yamato Alliance was doing and nothing's really happened since then," Yoshida said.

Kallen sighed, folding her arms across her chest. She had agreed to joining up with the Liberators, because they were the Kozuki Resistance's best chance at getting the supplies and weapons they needed to pick up where Naoto had left off, but she still didn't entirely trust them. It was made even more difficult to trust them due to the fact that Unity had agreed to supply them and aid them, so long as they were aided in return, even before the Kozuki Resistance had fulfilled their end of their deal with Unity. It just made no sense and Kallen couldn't begin to figure out what was going on in Unity's mind.

"What's up, Kallen?" Ohgi asked.

"I dunno. I just...why would Unity change his mind like this? I mean, he said that he wouldn't really aid us unless we captured the prince and yet he suddenly turned around and decided to aid us even though we haven't captured the prince yet. It just doesn't make sense," Kallen admitted.

"Hey, I ain't looking a gift horse in the mouth," Tamaki said.

"I have to agree with Kallen though," Ohgi said. "We'll just keep an eye on things and see if we can figure out what's really going on here."

The group entered the command post in the large living room of the cabin and Kallen was surprised to find that B.B. was there. The amber-eyed young man was seated by the window, gazing out at the forest that sloped away from the cabin and barely gave them a passing glance.

Michal and Reyes were also in the room, Reyes was talking on the phone in Spanish, while Michal was scanning pieces of paper that were scattered on the long coffee table. He looked up and waved Ohgi and the rest of them forward. "Welcome," he greeted them.

"Ah, hello," Ohgi said.

"I'm sure that you're wondering just why you're here, right?" Michal said. "I do apologize, especially to you, Kallen, since I know you had to skip school to be here but I thought it would be best if you knew where our new base of operations was located."

"So this is it?" Tamaki said. "It's a hell of a lot bigger than it looks like on the outside."

"It's meant to be that way. No one looks twice at something that looks plain and small on the outside," Michal said. "Take a seat. You're free to explore if you want too. Also, Unity sent along some new uniforms for you; he says that they're a gift but you don't have to use them if you don't want to."

"Is that all you wanted to tell us?" Ohgi asked.

"Not exactly but I don't have enough information to really tell you of the other reason why I called you here. I only know about this because one of my contacts within the JLF sent word to me that the JLF were up to something and I have been attempting to figure out what since then," Michal said.

"You think the JLF are making a move?" Inoue asked, picking up one of the uniforms. It was black with green accents and the new crest of the United Liberators, which was the name Unity had given to those who remained that followed him, on its right shoulder; it was identical to the normal Liberator crest, except that the U was on top of the crossed swords rather than behind them.

"It's possible."

"Then that's good, right?"

"It depends on just what they are planning on doing."

B.B. tilted his head backwards, away from the window. "And if they are doing something that you do not approve of then what will you do? Set the Demon Prince on them again?" he asked.

"No."

"Besides, Prince Lelouch isn't in his office today," Kallen said, causing all eyes to turn to her.

"He isn't?" Reyes echoed, closing his phone and stuffing it away.

She shook her head. "His sister convinced him to go with her on a one day vacation out of the Tokyo Settlement."

"Do you know where they're going?"

"Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center Hotel."

"Hmm, the same place as the Sakuradite Allocation Meeting? I wonder..." Michal trailed off, his brow furrowed in thought before he shook his head. "No. It'd be too risky, far too risky."

"What're you going on about?" Tamaki asked.

"Nothing. Go ahead and explore or grab something to eat. If I discover anything important then I'll let you know."

"He's acting like he's our leader and, frankly, it kinda bugs me," Tamaki muttered.

"Yeah, I agree," Yoshida muttered.

"C'mon, we may as well listen," Ohgi said.

Kallen cast a sidelong glance at Michal who was muttering quietly under his breath, scanning through the reports on the table. She bit her lip. The Liberators...the biggest resistance in the entire world...the only resistance to have a twenty win streak against Britannia…the same resistance that was supporting Kallen's brother's resistance.

Even after what happened with Naoto…

 _Am I betraying Naoto's memory by working with the Liberators, even though they abandoned us?_ Kallen shook her head, chewing on her lower lip. Reyes had apologized for that and, while Kallen would never forget that, she couldn't deny that it hadn't been their fault that Naoto was dead.

It had been Tara's.

Kallen really wished that she had been the one to catch Tara trying to kill Nunnally. She wouldn't have just beaten the crap out of her, like Adeline did, though; she would have likely killed her.

She pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she followed Inoue out of the living room.

 **. . .**

 _Westbound Train, Near Lake Kawaguchi_

"So whatcha looking forward to the most when we reach Lake Kawaguchi, Lelouch?" Milly asked brightly and grinned. "Seeing Shirley in a bikini?"

"M...Madame President!" Shirley cried.

"What? It's an honest question."

Lelouch snorted. "Only you would ask that kind of question, She-Devil," he said dryly. "I don't know honestly."

"I'm just glad that you get to rest, even if it's only for a day. I was getting worried about you, Big Brother, 'cause of how tired and overworked you've been lately," Nunnally said. "So I'm sure this vacation is gonna be great for you."

"I suppose. I hope you will have fun yourself, Little Sister," Lelouch said.

"So long as I'm with you, I'm sure I will," Nunnally said.

"What about you, Suzaku?" Milly asked.

"Um...I dunno. I've never been to Lake Kawaguchi before," Suzaku admitted. He was still feeling very uncomfortable with the fact that he had a pretty pink-haired princess, and his best friend and prince's younger half sister at that, seated on his lap. He found himself hoping that Cornelia _never_ found out about this incident. As it was, he had this odd feeling that Lelouch wasn't exactly thrilled with the predicament Milly forced them into but he hadn't said anything, for which Suzaku was glad. He had seen Overprotective Older Sibling Syndrome before and he did _not_ want to be on the receiving end.

"Who here has been to Lake Kawaguchi?" Adeline asked.

No one raised their hands.

"So it's gonna be an adventure for all of us," the golden-haired girl added with a grin. "I'm looking forward to it, especially the swimming part. Do you think I'd look good in a bikini, Rai?" She winked at Rai who started sputtering, blue eyes wide, and cheeks red.

"I think you broke him again, Adeline," Shirley said and Suzaku winced in sympathy for the white-haired boy.

Adeline just laughed.

"Wonderful, Adeline has turned into another Milly," Lelouch muttered.

"I heard that sarcasm, Lelouch. What's wrong with me?" Milly said, folding her arms across her chest and pouting at Lelouch.

"Nothing's wrong with you. I just think that two She Devils conspiring with each other is going to be the doom of the entire world," Lelouch said nonchalantly.

"Oh you're exaggerating," Adeline said with a wave of her hand. "It'll only be of Ashford Academy."

"That does not ease my worries at all."

The train entered a tunnel, causing shadows to engulf the compartment and Nina gasped, her hands clenching into fists. Milly turned and smiled softly at Nina, reaching out and taking her hands in hers. "It'll be okay, Nina. Lake Kawaguchi is a resort and a vacation destination mostly for Britannians; it's not at all like the ghettos. The only Eleven there will be Suzaku and you get along fine with him."

"Yes, I know, but..." Nina trailed off and Suzaku could hear a tremble in her voice.

"It'll be fine, Nina," Nunnally said with a beaming smile. "We're all here so you won't be alone."

"Nunna's right. We're all gonna be right there with you the entire time," Milly said, squeezing Nina's hand.

Nina gave them all a shaky smile.

The shadows of the tunnel faded as they headed down the final stretch to reach Lake Kawaguchi.

"Oh, wow, it's beautiful," Adeline exclaimed.

"It really is," Nunnally gasped. "Isn't it, Big Brother?"

"It is," Lelouch said.

"I've never see anything like it before, not even at Pendragon," Euphie said, leaning closer to get a better glimpse of the sparkling lake and shifting on Suzaku's lap. Suzaku blushed again and Lelouch gave him an amused smirk.

The train came to a halt and Milly stood up and stretched. "Well, let's go get checked in and then we can decide what to do. What do you say? Food? Swimming? Any preference?" she asked.

"I don't care," Shirley said with a shrug. "Food does sound good too."

Adeline hopped off Rai's lap, causing the white-haired boy to let loose a quiet breath of relief, and grinned. "I could use some food too. I skipped breakfast this morning," she said.

"Fine with me," Lelouch said, unwinding his arms from around Shirley and she stood up, brushing her orange hair out of her eyes.

Euphie hopped off Suzaku's lap once he released her and he was a little relieved. He had a sinking filling that he'd have to deal with that on the way back though.

 **. . .**

 _Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center Hotel, Area 11_

Nina followed the rest of the group as they led the way into the hotel, gazing around but, true to Milly's words, the only Eleven that she could see was Suzaku. She wasn't exactly comfortable around Suzaku but she did get along fine with him, after learning that Suzaku was likely the only person that Lelouch truly trusted around his little sister. And he was also a Knight of Honor so that did count for something in Nina's eyes.

But she was still a bit skittish around other people. Usually it was only around Elevens and men, with Lelouch, Rivalz, Suzaku and, recently, Rai, being the only exceptions, but she just didn't like crowds. It was a no wonder Milly had such a difficult time getting her to be more social.

"Nina?"

Nina jerked out of her thoughts and blinked when she found Lelouch watching her with concern in his amethyst eyes. He stood nearby with Nunnally in front of him and Suzaku standing at his side. "Yeah?" she said.

"You stopped. Is everything okay?" Lelouch asked.

"Yeah, you okay, Nina?" Nunnally asked concerned.

"Oh, uh, I'm fine. I just...I was just thinking...it's okay...I'm fine," Nina said a bit quickly.

Lelouch didn't seem to believe her but Nunnally smiled and nodded. "That's good. C'mon, we should keep moving or we're gonna lose Milly and the rest of the group," she said.

"Oh, right," Nina said and fell into step beside Lelouch as he, pushing Nunnally's wheelchair, began walking again, Suzaku matching him step for step on his right side. "Um, where's Adeline?"

"I told her to go on ahead 'cause Big Brother's here now and so's Suzaku so I'll be fine with them nearby," Nunnally said as they entered the lobby of the hotel and Milly waved them over.

"I've got the room keys and our assigned room. Do you wanna head up there now to drop off our stuff or just go get food first?" she asked curiously.

"I say we drop off our stuff. It'll be a hassle to carry all of our stuff around all the time." Adeline curled an arm around Rai's shoulders and yanked him forward so that his face was pressed into her chest. "Don't you agree, Rai?"

"Uh...Y...Yeah..." Rai stammered out, blushing.

"Adeline, you've turned into a Milly clone. There's no saving you now," Lelouch said.

Adeline laughed and released Rai who immediately darted away to stand beside Suzaku, the blush refusing to leave his cheeks. "Hey, she's a fun gal to be around," she said with a shrug. "She makes life way funner."

"These people just don't appreciate our taste in fun," Milly said with a pout.

"That's because your taste is usually humiliating or embarrassing or a combination of the two, She-Devil," Lelouch said.

"But it's still fun," Milly said, not at all fazed by Lelouch's words, or being called a She-Devil. She never was. Milly was a strange person but there was no denying that she was a good friend and she was good at coming up with ideas that were fun, even if they were insane and embarrassing. Nina could still clearly remember the bake sale incident and the fairy-tale themed ball, not to mention the cross-dressing incident.

Nunnally giggled. "It is pretty fun," she said. "By the way, Milly, are you planning on making a big pizza during the spring festival again this year?"

"Of course. Maybe we'll have a repeat of last year for Lelouch and Shirley, eh?" Milly said with a grin and a waggle of her eyebrows.

Shirley blushed. "Madame President," she cried.

Milly just laughed and turned around. "C'mon, let's go put our stuff away and then find a place to eat and then we can figure out what to do next," she said and led the way to the elevators.

After they put their bags away in their room, they left the rooms and headed back downstairs to get something to eat.

Nina smiled softly as she followed the rest of the group. _This really does seem like it's off to a good start for a vacation,_ she thought. _And...And maybe I can try and be more social like Milly has been trying to get me to be since we met. I mean...it's hard 'cause I'm really shy and not very comfortable around large groups but Milly and them are my friends._

She gazed around, trying to decide who to talk to while they walked down the hallway, and finally settled on speaking with Nunnally. However, before she could approach the kind-hearted princess as they entered the lobby on the floor they were on, the door slammed open. Nina gasped, fear flooding her as a group of _Elevens_ stormed into the lobby wielding shotguns.

"All right, everyone! Hands where I can see 'em. Follow my orders if ya wanna live," the Eleven in the front ordered, pointing their gun at the group and the group immediately complied. Nina felt tremors of terror spread through her and she found herself shifting closer to the person she knew that was the closest to her, which was incidentally Lelouch.

The disguised prince's lips were curved into a frown as he complied with the order of the Eleven and Nina swallowed before doing the same. The Elevens herded them toward the far end of the building and into a large storeroom and they weren't very gentle. Nina felt herself being shoved in by the Eleven behind her and went tumbling past Lelouch and into Milly. She caught her and lowered her to the ground.

"On your knees. Hands on your head, now!" The Eleven barked, pointing his shotgun at everyone and Nina complied just as everyone else did.

A cry sounded and Nina watched, eyes wide with horror, as Nunnally was ruthlessly dumped onto the ground.

A quiet snarl sounded beside her and Nina was positive that Suzaku and Shirley grabbing Lelouch when they did was the only thing that stopped him from attacking the Eleven right then and there. As it was, when she looked at him, she could see tremors of fury surging through his body. Even though his eyes were hidden by sunglasses, Nina had no doubt they were blazing.

"Move it, girl," the Eleven spat, kicking Nunnally in the side.

Lelouch snarled again.

"She's crippled!" Adeline protested. "Let me help her."

"Che, fine," the Eleven said and Adeline moved to Nunnally's side, gathering her into her arms and moving back to join Nina and the rest of the group. Nina looked around, noticing that Milly, who was right next to her, had put herself in front of Euphie and pulled Rai over to sit beside her, shielding the pink-haired princess from sight. Suzaku and Shirley were seated on either side of Lelouch.

More people were herded into the storeroom and Nina swallowed, her fear still surging through her as Adeline moved to sit on Nina's other side; she and Nunnally placed their hands on their heads and kept their heads down.

Nina lowered her head but not before she spotted a camera and she found herself wondering just what was going on.

 **. . .**

 _Mount Odake, Area 11_

"So this is what the JLF are doing? Imbeciles!" Reyes exclaimed, staring at the television screen in which the anchorwoman was talking about the Sakuradite Allocation Meeting, the fact that the terrorists, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe, had taken Chairman James of the SAM as well as several innocents hostage, and just what the meeting was all about. Kallen wasn't really paying attention to all of that; her gaze was fixed on the familiar people she'd spotted.

Milly, Nina, Shirley, Rai, Adeline…

 _That means that those other four people that are with them must be Princess Euphemia, Princess Nunnally, Prince Lelouch, and Kururugi,_ Kallen thought. She was glad that Nunnally had the foresight to go in disguise, as had the other more prominent people, but she was angry when she saw how that Japanese man hadn't even let Nunnally keep her wheelchair.

"What are we going to do? I mean...we're not just going to let them get away with this, are we?" Ohgi asked, shifting in the new uniform he'd decided to wear.

Michal shook his head and stood up. "No. We're only have about a ten minute drive to Lake Kawaguchi but I want to know more about the situation before we do anything. We need to know exactly what we're up against. Reyes, get any and all information on Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe."

"Right," Reyes said.

"I can help," Inoue offered.

"By all means. We need to find as much about him as possible to figure out just what he's going to do. We'll also keep an eye on the situation to see what we can figure out from that as well," Michal said.

Kallen swallowed in concern.

"Your friends are part of that group, aren't they?" Ohgi said quietly.

"Yeah," Kallen said quietly. "And Nunnally...they were cruel enough to not even let her keep her wheelchair. That's just wrong. She may be Britannian but..." She sighed.

"There are lines that no one should cross," B.B. murmured. "Thin, blurred lines between freedom fighter and terrorist or harming those who fight and harming those who don't. It seems to me that Kusakabe has tripped over both of those lines."

"Yeah, you're right," Ohgi said.

 **. . .**

 _Storeroom, Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center Hotel_

Suzaku's eyes widened behind his sunglasses and he ducked down behind Lelouch, using his friend and Shirley to hide himself when a very familiar Japanese man stepped into the storeroom. He was tall and burly with thick black hair and a black mustache on his face with a _katana_ resting on his hip.

"What is it?" Lelouch stage-whispered.

"That's Kusakabe. He'll recognize me in an instant if he sees me, even with my disguise," Suzaku whispered as quietly as possible back.

Lelouch's hand clenched into a slight fist—Suzaku knew that he didn't have fond memories of Kusakabe from his time at the Kururugi Shrine—but he said nothing more.

"You are all here as our hostages because though you're civilians, you're still Britannians and still part of the country that took ours away from us and keep us oppressed," Kusakabe began, clasping his hands behind his back. "And you will remain hostages as long as our demands are not met by the Viceroy. So sit down and be quiet."

Lelouch's lips curved into a frown.

Kusakabe turned and, after instructing three of his men to remain behind guarding the hostages, he left the storeroom.

Nina was trembling with terror while Euphie had her head down, worry in her lavender purple eyes, and Adeline was shifting Nunnally into a more comfortable position. Lelouch was still, his hand still clenched and the frown still on his lips, while Shirley, Milly, and Rai exchanged worried glances.

 _Just what's going to happen to us? It's not like Kusakabe can actually give out his demands to the Viceroy when the Viceroy is_ here _and incapable of receiving his demands,_ Suzaku thought. He feared the worst but was hoping for the best; in the situation that he was stuck in, that was all he really could do.

 **. . .**

 _G1 Mobile Base, Shore of Lake Kawaguchi_

"Son of a bitch," Cornelia scowled, slamming her fist into the armrest of her chair as she glared at the hotel and at the blank screen where Kusakabe had just demanded to speak with the Viceroy. Cornelia had tried to insist that she was acting in his stead and would listen to his requests but he'd just stated that he wanted to speak with the Demon Prince _himself_ and refused to negotiate with her.

"This isn't good," Frost, the blue-haired girl that was part of Lelouch's Royal Guard, said. Lelouch had loaned them to her while he was on vacation and Cornelia had decided to call them in to help just in case she needed it since she knew that the Frost twins were strong knightmare pilots, Duncan was a technological genius, and Moore and the Eleven Akiyama were spot-on sharpshooters. She might be able to make use of their skills in this situation.

"Is there anything you can get on the situation, Major Duncan?" Cornelia demanded.

"I'm trying, Your Highness," Duncan said. "I have located Prince Lelouch; he has his phone on him and, while it's on silent mode, I can trace it. They're in a storeroom on the middle floor of the hotel."

"Anyway to get into the building?"

"Only one, the maintenance tunnel right here," Duncan said, bringing up a map of the hotel and highlighting the maintenance tunnel.

"We'll send a squad into the tunnel to see if they can get into the hotel itself," Cornelia decided.

"Is that wise, Your Highness? Prince Lelouch always used to say that when a rat is cornered then that is when they are at their most unpredictable," the shorter Frost said quietly. "And, in this situation, I've taken that to mean that if they've destroyed all but two possible ways to get to the hotel then it means that we can't assume that they don't know about the second way in because they're cornered and that makes them unpredictable."

Akiyama snorted. "You literally just quoted Lelouch almost to the word," he said.

Cornelia's eye twitched. "While you are in my presence, you will refer to Lelouch with respect," she said firmly. Lelouch let his Royal Guard get away with treating him informally but Cornelia wouldn't.

"Ah, sorry 'bout that, Your..." The rest of Akiyama's statement was cut off by a violent sneeze.

"Tadashi, you should've taken today off too. You're clearly not over that sickness yet," the shorter Frost said quietly.

"I'm fine," Akiyama said, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

The shorter Frost gave Akiyama a look that clearly said he didn't believe that.

"Major Frost does have a point though," Cornelia said. "We will send a decoy knightmare, remote piloted, into the maintenance tunnel to see whether Kusakabe really has something in store for us."

 _Lelouch, I hope you, Nunnally, and Euphie are safe,_ she thought as Guilford, nodding, gave out the order.

 **. . .**

 _Mount Odake, Area 11_

Kallen paced in the living room of Michal's base, watching as he sorted through all the intelligence that Reyes and Inoue had gotten for him. He didn't look happy and kept glancing at the television screen that was still showing the hotel highjacking in the background, his brow furrowed and worry in his eyes.

"Michal suspects that Kusakabe is going to do something drastic soon," B.B. murmured.

"Why haven't the negotiations started though?" Tamaki said with a frown.

"It's very likely that Kusakabe wants to speak with the Viceroy himself but, since the Viceroy is currently among the hostages and Kusakabe doesn't know that, he can't do that," Reyes said. "But that just means that the hostages are in much more danger because Kusakabe's an unpredictable person."

"The prince isn't someone who would sacrifice innocents for no reason. What happened with the Yamato Alliance is proof of that," Kallen said. "But...he would do anything to keep his little sister safe."

"You know that for sure?" Michal asked.

"I've seen the way he acts around her. If anything, I'd say he's a bit of a siscon," Kallen said with a shrug.

"Then it's likely he won't do anything unless his little sister is in danger. Otherwise, it would only lead to his little sister being put into danger." Michal straightened up and clasped his hands behind his back and turned to Kallen and her friends. "I have a plan that will help us to beat Kusakabe and rescue those hostages."

"Why?" Tamaki asked. "I mean, I get that they're innocents but what's the point?"

"Unity recruits anyone who is willing to fight back against Britannia's tyranny, including Britannians themselves should their eyes be opened to the truth about Britannia's rotten core. This will be our way of reaching out to the public by showing that we are not terrorists and we do not condone what Kusakabe is doing. That's the main thing that Unity has been trying to get across but it hasn't been working that well here in Area 11; Nightfall's actions have not helped this at all. This may be our chance."

"And the hostages will be safe?" Kallen asked, thinking about the friends she'd made on the Student Council.

"Yes. The hostages will be safe."

"And the prince? This might be our chance to capture him now that I think about it," Sugiyama said thoughtfully.

Michal shook his head though. "It's too risky, especially not when too many people know that he's there. If he isn't with the other hostages, the Britannians may jump to the wrong conclusion and, despite his reputation, Britannians do respect him. So it would be best if we didn't do anything. Will you help me and Reyes accomplish this goal?"

Kallen glanced at Ohgi who pressed his lips together in thought. Finally, he turned to the rest of the group. "What do you think?" he asked.

The group exchanged glances before looking back at Ohgi and nodded once.

"Okay. We'll help," Ohgi said.

"Thank you," Michal said.

 **. . .**

 _G1 Mobile Base, Shore of Lake Kawaguchi_

"Wait, I see something. What's going on?" Rayne said, pointing to the display on the table.

"Zoom in," Princess Cornelia said and the screen zoomed in. Rayne's eyes went wide when she saw that the terrorists were standing on the top of the building with a hostage with his arms tied to his sides by thick rope.

"Oh dear God, they're not gonna do what I think they're gonna do, are they?" Tadashi asked, looking horrified.

"Please don't," Kay whispered, staring.

Lila looked away, biting her lower lip.

The terrorist shoved the hostage off the building and Rayne tore her gaze away, even though she knew that the result of that incident would not be shown on the screen. Still…she may have killed before but it was all in the name of protecting the innocent and because she was part of the military. To actually kill someone like that was terrible.

 _Damn terrorists,_ Rayne thought.

Cornelia's jaw clenched. "Despicable barbarians," she growled.

The screen flickered on and Kusakabe gazed coolly at the purple-haired princess. "As you see, that is what you are faced with, Sub-Viceroy. So either you allow me to speak with the Viceroy face to face or I will continue to kill a hostage every thirty minutes," he said coolly and his image flickered before vanishing.

Cornelia's hand clenched into a fist. "So they're going to kill a hostage every thirty minutes until their demand to speak with Lelouch is met, we can't get close to the convention center because of that linear cannon that took out the decoy knightmare, and..." She trailed off but Rayne saw worry in her indigo eyes.

"Perhaps we can negotiate with them. If we can get Prince Lelouch out of there at least then that will help stop these executions," Guilford said.

Cornelia shook her head. "If we do something like that then all we are doing is legitimizing terrorism," she said firmly.

 _Besides, who's to say that Kusakabe won't just kill Lelouch should he find out Lelouch is that close to him?_ Rayne thought. _Especially since I know Lelouch well enough to know that he will not give in to whatever demands Kusakabe has._

The door slid open and a soldier darted in, looking shocked. "Your Highness!" he said.

"What is it?" Cornelia asked.

"A vehicle is approaching us. It looks like a normal armored truck," the soldier said.

"Where is it coming from?"

"Mount Odake."

"Your Highness," Dimitri called. "We're being hailed. The channel's encrypted and it's voice only but should I put it through?"

"Put it through," Cornelia ordered.

The screen blanked and then a voice sounded. " _Your Highness, it is a pleasure to speak with you_ ," a calm voice with a Russian accent said.

"Who are you?" Cornelia demanded.

" _I am Michal, leader of the Japanese Cell of the Liberators_."

Shock rippled through the bridge and Rayne gasped, her eyes wide. "But...the Black Knights took you out at Sapporo," she exclaimed, forgetting for a moment just whose presence she was in.

" _The Demon Prince may have succeeded in annihilating my cell but there were survivors and I have recreated my cell. Rest assured, I am not here to pick a fight with you. I don't approve of what the JLF is doing; they are going against the very rhetoric that the Liberators stand for. Therefore, we would like to offer our assistance, this time only, to you, Princess, to get the hostages out._ "

"What's in it for you? Why would the Liberators, who are Britannia's biggest enemy at the moment, actually _help_ us?" Cornelia demanded.

" _Does it matter?_ "

"Of course it does! I am not letting you by until you tell me what it is you want and why you're really dong this."

" _The longer you try to convince me to reveal my intentions, the smaller the chances of the survival of three of your siblings get. We know that Princess Euphemia, Princess Nunnally, and the Viceroy himself are among the hostages. Do you really think they're going to remain hidden forever?_ "

Cornelia growled but Rayne feared that Michal was right, especially considering that they were killing off hostages. If they reached Lelouch, or someone that Lelouch cared about, then it would be all over.

" _I know that you don't trust me and I don't trust you. I fight to liberate Japan and all of the world from Britannia's tyranny but that does not mean that I can just let the JLF get away with this. I care little about you or about your siblings but I do understand that, in this situation, they are innocent._ "

Cornelia grounded her teeth together. "Fine. We will let you by," he said.

Guilford and everyone else looked at her in surprise.

" _I thought as much. Good day, Princess._ " The sound fizzled out and Cornelia stood up, turning to Guilford.

"Order everyone to withdraw and allow the Liberators through. And gather the Glaston Knights. If I am right then we may be able to achieve three objectives at once."

 _What do you have planned?_ Rayne wondered silently.

 **. . .**

 _Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center Hotel_

Lelouch was tracking the three terrorists, watching as they made their rounds, and determining the best place to strike. If he could get close enough to them, and get all of the hostages out of his line of sight, then he could settle this matter. He could assure the safety of his little sister, best friend, friends, and the other hostages and confront Kusakabe, mostly to keep up appearances and ensure that this never happened again. Kusakabe had gone too far, especially with the killing of the hostage, and he was going to reap what he sowed.

He was thankful that the sunglasses hid his eyes because it prevented the terrorists from noticing that he was watching them and calculating the best possible strategy to use.

All those strategies flew out the window in the wake of what happened next though.

One of the terrorists moved a bit too close to Lelouch's group, causing a terrified Nina to gasp and stammer out, "A...An...Eleven."

"What the…? What did you just call me? We're Japanese, dammit!" The terrorist shouted, whirling around and pointing his shotgun at Nina causing her to jump.

 _Dammit, Nina,_ Lelouch thought. Nina may be a friend but her fear of Elevens was something that really didn't help the situation that they were in.

"We know that. Just lay off her," Milly protected, tightening her grip around Nina's shoulders.

"Well, then correct her. We're not Elevens!" The terrorist shouted.

"We will, okay?" Shirley snapped.

 _You two are not making this situation any better,_ Lelouch thought, frowning at the situation. He could see that it was spiraling out of control.

"Don't take that tone with me, you Britannian brat!" the terrorist snarled.

While he was saying that, Lelouch saw Nunnally shift toward Nina and gently take her hand in hers. "It's okay, Nina. Calm down," she said with a gentle smile. "Everything will be okay." She turned her gaze to the furious terrorist and added, "Can't we just calm down and let it go? It was simply a mistake after all."

It would be just like Nunnally to try to calm the situation but Lelouch knew that it wasn't going to work in his little sister's favor.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do, you stupid Britannian!" The terrorist shouted, lashing out with his shotgun and Nunnally cried out in pain when the shotgun struck her, knocking her to the side.

Fury exploded through Lelouch and the only thing that stopped him from launching himself at the terrorist for daring to strike his little sister was Suzaku. Even Suzaku was shaking but it was clear that he had slipped into knight mode, the mode in which he was supposed to protect Lelouch. He obviously thought that if Lelouch attacked the terrorist then it would jeopardize his safety.

He was probably right.

"How dare you?" Adeline shouted and launched herself at the terrorist. The terrorist whirled around and fired. Cries of shock sounded and Adeline cried out in pain as she was sent tumbling back to the ground, blood gushing from the wound in her shoulder.

"You brats. You are our hostages and you will act like them," the terrorist snarled, slinging his shotgun over his back and, reaching down, he grabbed both Nina's and Nunnally's arms and yanked them way from the group.

"No! No, no, no, no, no!" Nina screamed, struggling violently to escape.

Nunnally tried to break free from the terrorist's grip but her face was white with terror.

Lelouch wrenched himself free from Suzaku and stood up. "Let them both go now!" he barked out in a commanding tone that caused everyone in the room to turn and look at him as one.

"Lelouch..." Suzaku whispered but he didn't try to stop him.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" the terrorist snapped.

Lelouch strode forward, removing his disguise. "I am Lelouch vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince of the Holy Empire of Britannia and Viceroy of Area 11," he said, locking eyes with the terrorist, activating his Geass. " _And you will release those two girls, order your men to render medical attention for the girl that you shot, never harm anyone in this storeroom ever again and order your men to do the same, and take me to your leader._ "

The terrorist stiffened, his eyes widening as the red ring of Geass encircled his irises. "Fine then," he said, releasing both Nina and Nunnally. He gestured to the two men with him. "You, come with me. You, go and tend to that girl's injury and do not harm anyone else in this room. Is that clear?"

The two terrorists that had joined the leader exchanged glances but they saluted. "Yes, sir," they said.

The taller one that the lead terrorist had indicated moved forward while the shorter one left the storeroom only to return less than a minute later with a first aid kit.

"Well, let's get going, Viceroy. Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe will want to speak with you," the lead terrorist said, grabbing Lelouch's arm and gesturing to the taller man to bring up the rear.

"I insist that my knight be allowed to accompany me," Lelouch said flatly and locked eyes with the second terrorist, activating his Geass again. " _And you will let my knight accompany me as well as hand over your weapon to him when we reach Kusakabe's location._ " He added the last part only loud enough for the two terrorists to hear, though he knew the first one wouldn't remember ever hearing that.

"Fine. The prince's knight will come with us. Everyone else. Stay here and be quiet," the second terrorist shouted, the ring of red around his irises.

Suzaku stood up and moved to Lelouch's side, removing his own disguise to show that he was, indeed, Lelouch's knight.

Lelouch cast a sidelong glance at his friends, looking mostly at his terrified little sister. "I will be all right," he reassured her. "Everything will be okay. Don't worry. You are all safe now." He turned and followed the two terrorists as they guided him out of the storeroom and Suzaku quickly fell into step beside him.

By the time they reached the office that Kusakabe had claimed as his own, the second terrorist stopped and, removing his gun, held it out toward Suzaku. Suzaku looked confused but, at Lelouch's nod, took it.

The first terrorist knocked on the door. "Lieutenant Colonel, we have Viceroy Lelouch vi Britannia hear to speak to you," he said.

"The Viceroy? You mean he was here this entire time? Send him in," Kusakabe ordered.

The terrorist opened the door and gestured for Lelouch to enter. Lelouch stage-whispered to Suzaku, "hide the gun and follow me" and stepped into the room. He didn't have to look to know that his knight was doing as he said.

Kusakabe hadn't changed at all. He still had a perpetual look of arrogance on his face and the disdain that he showed toward Lelouch was just as obvious now as it was seven years ago.

"Ah, Viceroy Lelouch, the Demon Prince. What a marvelous surprise," the Japanese man said with a smirk, his _katana_ resting on his lap. "Had I known you were here from the very beginning, I wouldn't have bothered with contacting Princess Cornelia. You look well. And you as well, Kururugi. It has been a long time since I've seen you."

Suzaku's lips thinned but he said nothing.

"Save the pleasantries, Kusakabe. You have demands, I'm sure," Lelouch said blandly.

"Very well then," Kusakabe said. "There are prisoners that are being held by you Britannians and I want them to be released, unharmed, immediately." He gestured and one of his men walked forward to hand a folder to Lelouch.

Lelouch took it and flipped through the pages, lips curving into a frown. All of the prisoners that Kusakabe wanted released were dangerous and just as radical as Kusakabe seemed to be. They had been arrested because their radical terrorism had led to them making a mistake and Britannia was able to apprehend them. That incident had occurred while Lelouch had still been in Osaka but he still kept abreast of the situation as he was supposed to.

"So you will release them and I will release you, your knight, and the remaining hostages. Sounds a sound deal, no?" Kusakabe said.

"Perhaps. Tell me though, Kusakabe, what exactly do you plan on accomplishing with all of this?" Lelouch said, closing the folder and lowering it, fixing piercing amethyst eyes on Kusakabe.

"To gain attention, of course," Kusakabe exclaimed. "To show Britannia and the world that the Japanese are not dead yet."

"By killing innocent people?" Suzaku demanded.

"They're just Britannians, traitor. They're part of the country that destroyed our own but then you wouldn't understand anything about that, the son of the disgraced Prime Minister who committed suicide rather than fight against Britannia," Kusakabe sneered.

Suzaku flinched.

"Leave my knight out of this, Kusakabe," Lelouch said coolly.

"Yes, yes, of course," Kusakabe said. "Very well then. So you will release those prisoners now, correct?"

Lelouch placed the folder back on the table closest to him and clasped his hands behind his back. "I do not recall ever saying that I would agree to your demands," he said.

"What? But you said..." Kusakabe began.

"I believe I told you that I would _listen_ to your demands. Did you hear me say that I would adhere to them?" Lelouch asked blandly.

Kusakabe snarled. "So you won't?"

"No."

"Then you'll die," Kusakabe snarled and, removing the _katana_ from his scabbard, launched himself at Lelouch.

Suzaku reacted in an instant, whipping out the gun that had been given to him and firing a single shot that struck Kusakabe directly in the forehead.

"Suzaku, close your eyes, now!" Lelouch ordered.

Suzaku lowered the gun and closed his eyes tightly while Lelouch locked eyes with everyone else in the room that were moving their hands toward their weapons. He activated his Geass and hissed, " _Die!_ "

Suzaku gasped but Lelouch ignored it as he watched the rest of Kusakabe's men do exactly as he ordered and turned their weapons upon themselves.

Once they were all dead, Lelouch deactivated his Geass and turned to his knight. "You can open your eyes now," he said.

"You...You...You killed them?" Suzaku whispered, opening his eyes and staring at Lelouch.

"They would have killed us if I hadn't. In this kind of situation, I had no choice," Lelouch said.

"B...But...you could have told them to surrender or something," Suzaku insisted, looking pale.

Lelouch hummed. "I suppose I could have," he said.

He wouldn't apologize for what he did and he knew that Suzaku knew that. His words were probably the closest that Suzaku was going to get to an actual apology and he knew that just as well.

"Just...my prince, please don't do that again?" Suzaku said. It was more of a question.

Lelouch studied his best friend and finally inclined his head. "I will try, unless there are no other alternatives. Will that suffice?" he said.

Suzaku sighed. "I guess it's gotta," he said but it was clear he still wasn't happy with what happened.

 **. . .**

Kallen quickly guided the hostages toward Tamaki and Inoue who was escorting them to the life rafts that were waiting at the base of the hotel. As she did so, she looked around and, while she had caught sight of Nunnally in an instant—she was being carried on Adeline's back near the back of the crowd of hostages—she saw no sign of the prince or his knight, which further confirmed the other hostages' words.

When Kallen and her group had arrived to secure the hostages, as per Michal's orders, one of the first things they'd heard was about how Prince Lelouch had revealed his identity to protect two of the girls that the terrorists were threatening. Kallen had no doubt that one of those girls was Nunnally; she was the only one that Kallen saw Lelouch revealing his identity to save. She may not know him that well but that was the feeling that she got from what she did know about him.

But that also meant that he and Kururugi were likely with Kusakabe. She had already informed Michal, who was heading toward Kusakabe's location with Reyes and Ohgi, about that fact but he hadn't gotten back to her. Considering that they were running on limited time, Kallen wasn't too surprised.

She was thankful that the new uniform the Liberators had given her also came with a hat and a mask that hid her face. The Student Council members would recognize her in an instant and that would blow her cover; she wouldn't be able to return to Ashford Academy if that happened. It was also easy to move in and not that hot, despite the fact that it covered her entire body like a bodysuit.

"Keep moving. We're on a tight schedule," Tamaki shouted at the hostages.

"Be a little more sensitive, would you?" Inoue said curtly.

"Well, I don't wanna be here when things go to hell in a hand basket," Tamaki retorted.

"Things _haven't_ gone to hell in a hand basket yet?" Adeline, who was just passing by Kallen, echoed.

"Oh be quiet and just move," Tamaki growled in irritation.

"Yeah, yeah. Nunna, you okay?" Adeline asked the quiet girl on her back.

"I'm worried about Big Brother," Nunnally whispered. "Is he...gonna be okay?"

"He'll be fine," Adeline reassured the sandy-brown haired girl. She shifted her grip on Nunnally and started walking against. A pink-haired girl that Kallen was positive was Euphie, Rai, and Shirley came next with Milly bringing up the rear of the group of hostages guiding a quietly stunned but still shaking Nina at her side.

The communicator around Kallen's ear buzzed. " _Status on the securing of the hostages?_ " Michal said.

Kallen turned her communicator on and, waiting until Milly and Nina were out of earshot, said, "All the hostages have made it to the evacuation point and are being escorted to the rafts as we speak."

" _Good work. We will be joining you shortly,_ " Michal said.

"And the prince and his knight?"

" _We have them,_ " Michal said.

" _Quite struggling. We aren't going to harm you or your prince,_ " Reyes's voice exclaimed in the background before he grunted and started cursing in Spanish.

" _I don't trust you. Unhand my prince,_ " Kururugi's voice snapped.

" _He's not harmed._ "

" _You knocked him out!_ "

" _..._ "

Kallen sweatdropped.

" _We're just trying to get you out of here, no strings attached,_ " Michal said in an attempt to placate the struggling Knight of Honor.

" _I don't believe that for a second. How do I know you're not working with Nightfall?_ " Kururugi demanded.

" _I'd sooner stab my eyes out with a spoon than work with that crazy bastard,_ " Reyes said.

" _We do not work with him,_ " Michal said reassuringly.

The snort of disbelief told Kallen that the Knight didn't believe that. " _If you really are just trying to get us out of here then let me carry my prince,_ " Kururugi said finally.

" _Very well. Bush?_ "

" _Right._ " Embarrassment colored Ohgi's tone; he had been granted that nickname due to Reyes's rather weird sense of humor and it just stuck.

There was silence for a moment before Michal's voice came back. " _We are nearing your location, Red Queen. Wait for us just inside the building,_ " he said.

"Roger," Kallen said and turned off the communicator before turning to Inoue and Tamaki who'd walked back to join her. "Michal and Reyes are almost here. They told me to wait for them so go ahead and we'll meet you at the rendezvous."

Tamaki and Inoue nodded and left the hotel.

A few minutes later, Reyes and Michal walked over to join them with an irritated Kururugi and a semi-conscious and equally as irritated Prince Lelouch just behind him. The latter was walking, though he was holding his head and giving Reyes a look that clearly conveyed just how much he didn't like Reyes at that moment. Both of them didn't look harmed, though there were some splatters of blood on the casual clothing that they were wearing.

"Red Queen," Michal greeted Kallen.

"Michal," Kallen replied, lowering her voice in the hope of making it unrecognizable.

Judging by the way Prince Lelouch's inquisitive eyes studied her, it wasn't working.

Michal turned to face Prince Lelouch and Kururugi and bowed to the prince "Goodbye, Your Highness. Perhaps we shall meet again," Michal said and, gesturing to Reyes, headed deeper into the hotel. "Red Queen, escort the prince and his knight to the raft."

"Roger," Kallen said and gestured for Prince Lelouch and Suzaku to follow her as she led the way out of the hotel.

 **. . .**

 _G1 Mobile Base, Shore of Lake Kawaguchi_

Cornelia watched as the blank screen in front of her came to life with static and then, to her surprise, the crest of the Liberators appeared in front of the static. She noticed that it looked different but only slightly; the U was in front of the crossed swords. She didn't know why the crest had changed but then she wasn't entirely sure why the crest was being broadcast as it was. This wasn't a personal call; this was being broadcast worldwide.

" _Citizens of Area 11 and people of the world,_ " Michal's voice echoed from the static, sound clear despite the slight static in the background. " _I am Michal and I am a member of the United Liberators! Today, we have accomplished what Britannia has failed to do; not only have we rescued the innocent hostages that were being held by the ruthless forces of Lieutenant Colonel Josei Kusakabe but we also rendered justice for the lives that Kusakabe's men were putting in danger. Kusakabe is dead and he died by our hands!_ "

"Find out where this is coming from now," Cornelia ordered.

"I'll see what I can do," Duncan said and his fingers began running rapidly across the keyboard in front of him.

" _We killed him because, though we fight for the same cause, he refused to see that the lives of the innocent are not just bargaining tools, they should not be used to further one's own agenda! That is the core principle we Liberators adhere to. We will not sanction the murder of the innocent, the killing of those who cannot fight back, and we will fight against that, even if it means going against those who seek to fulfill the same goal as we, but our true fight is against Britannia._ "

" _We have said this before, in many Areas since we were created, and we shall say it again here today, once again before the whole world. We fight to liberate the world from the tyranny of Britannia. We fight for the people who cannot. We fight for the weak being oppressed by the strong. We fight for the poor oppressed by the rich. We fight for the commoners look down upon by the nobility. We fight for the Numbers looked down upon by the Britannians. We fight for those who have no choice. We fight for those who are forced to do the bidding of others. We fight for those who are powerless._ "

 **. . .**

 _Raft, Lake Kawaguchi_

 _They're taking credit for what I did? Hmm._ Lelouch turned his gaze to the hotel as the words of the Liberator echoed around them. _But…_ Lelouch would never admit it out loud but a few of the Liberator's statements resonated deeply within him because he understood them.

 **. . .**

 _G1 Base, Shore of Lake Kawaguchi_

" _We fight for those who see the truth. We fight for those who understand the lies of Britannia,_ " Michal's voice went on, voice growing stronger and stronger and Cornelia gritted her teeth.

He had a passionate way of speaking and, while his tone and words did not quite exude the charisma that Lelouch or Schneizel exuded, he was definitely close.

"I can't pinpoint where it's coming from, Your Highness," Duncan said, lifting his head from his computer. "It's being bounced through several different signal towers and it's encrypted as well. I might be able to break the encryption but tracing it back, while probable, is not something that I can do without more time."

"Do what you can," Cornelia said.

"Yes, Your Highness."

" _Listen to me, Britannians, Numbers, everyone in the entire world! We are the United Liberators. We have spoken to you before and we speak to you now. No matter how you view us, as saviors or as bringers of destruction, as terrorists or as freedom fighters, we will continue to fight. We will not stop our fight no matter what. Our words have echoed throughout the world before and so shall they echo around the world again! People of the World, we shall Liberate this world from the tyranny that oppresses it!_ "

 **. . .**

 _Throne Room, Pendragon_

"Impressive speech," Schneizel el Britannia mused, listening to the words of the Liberator as he studied the static and the crest of the Liberators, also taking into his thoughts the change made to the crest. "Even if it is identical to the one they gave seven years ago, it is still quite well spoken."

"They are a nuisance," Emperor Charles zi Britannia said flatly, his purple eyes locked on the screen. "And they are stubborn but it's clear that they are still in Area 11."

"We did believe that there were two cells who infiltrated Area 11 and, according to Lelouch, there were a couple of survivors from Sapporo," Schneizel said. "Therefore, it is either the survivors have remade their lost cell or the second cell has made their move."

"Can you confirm that there are two cells?"

"No, Your Majesty, but I can contact Lelouch and General Andon, they may be able to confirm themselves," Schneizel said.

"Then do so, Schneizel."

"As you command, Your Majesty."

"But first, what is the situation in the EU?"

"There has been a limited number of terrorist operations since news of the Liberators defeat at Sapporo reached them. However, I have been in contact with Marrybell. She says that the terrorist group known as Peace Mark is the only one that seems to be doing anything but it's not attacks; it's mostly raids for supplies and they seem more of a support group than a fighting group. One of her Glinda Knights did intercept a communication however; according to the leader, the leader of Peace Mark, Oz, has set up a meeting with the leader of the Liberators but it's unclear of when the meeting is supposed to take place."

"So the only terrorist organization in the EU that is still causing mischief is attempting to ally themselves with the Liberators? Hmm. Keep an eye on the EU; this Peace Mark may be the first in a long line of smaller organizations seeking to join with the Liberators."

"As you command, Your Majesty. It would prove an even bigger nuisance if the Liberators gain more power than they already have. This same speech is what caused the Liberators to grow in size seven years ago. Why they are using it now, I do not know though," Schneizel said.

Charles turned to him. "And what do you believe will happen as a result of this?" he said.

"I believe that there is a chance that what happened seven years ago will happen again."

"That will not do. I want you to return to the EU and negotiate with the President of the EU and continue keeping the EU away from our borders. You will also inform Marrybell that she is to track down Peace Mark immediately and destroy them. Also, contact our resident Demon Prince; I want him to focus his attention on eradicating the Liberators in Area 11. He is to assume full command of the 11th Division in Area 11 immediately. Dismissed."

"As you command, Your Majesty." Schneizel bowed, hiding his small smirk. _Exactly as I thought he would say and this will greatly help our cause. By giving Lelouch full command of the 11_ _th_ _Division, the Emperor has just handed all of Area 11 to Lelouch on a silver platter,_ he thought. Hiding his smirk behind an emotionless mask, Schneizel straightened up and, inclining his head respectfully to the Emperor, he turned and left the throne room.

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Blaze: DON'T KILL ME!**

 **Bakura: why would they kill you? It wasn't a cliffhanger this time**

 **Lelouch: probably because it's been two months exactly since she last updated**

 **Suzaku: that is likely it**

 **Blaze: sorry but I started rewatching** _ **Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V**_ **and started writing my own** _ **ARC-V**_ **story and...well...it kinda just distracted me**

 **Bakura: no surprise there. Will we have to wait two months for the next update?**

 **Blaze: no. I'm going to try to get it up by Sunday. I make no promises but I will try for Sunday.**

 **Lelouch: what's the next chapter about?**

 **Blaze: well, you know that enemy who last made an actual physical appearance in ch. 26?**

 **Lelouch: ah and…?**

 **Blaze: why must you assume there's an 'and'?**

 **Lelouch: when it comes to you, there being an 'and' is almost always a given**

 **Blaze: true. Well, let's just say a canon character will make an appearance earlier than in canon**

 **Lelouch: what else?**

 **Blaze: I have to rework a few things since some things might not make much sense, or be realistic, but I may just keep it as is if I can't figure out a more realistic alternative. Oh and go ahead and end the chapter, Lelouch**

 **Lelouch: very well. Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter and, as usual, reviews are much appreciated**


	37. The Chinese Mind Reader

**Blaze: You know...I'm just posting it as is because I know there were some mistakes and some things that didn't quite make sense, or weren't realistic, but I can't quite think of them right now, and haven't been able to remember them for the past few months. (Something to do with Rai...I think…). If anything seems unrealistic, I'm sorry but I wanted what happens to Rai to happen and this was how it came out.**

 **Bakura: you do know that is no excuse for taking two months and eleven days to update.**

 **Blaze: (sweatdrop) you actually counted…?**

 **Bakura: no, I made my host count it**

 **Ryou: (sighs and shakes head) let's just get on with the opening author's note. Blaze would like to apologize for the lateness of this update but she hopes that you enjoy it nonetheless.**

 **Blaze: and thank you to _Lelouch V.B., Death-Prince-3, RobynHood3, pianomaster135, Guest, harlequin320, Doommajor, Imperial warlord, Shadow-Shinobi666, MichaelJCaboose007, OBSERVER01, amillionconstellations, DYnoJackal19, B-Kira, Raxius, Scarease,_ and _Tertius711_ for reviewing the last chapter.**

 **Ryou: Blaze hopes that you guys enjoy this chapter and, once again, she is sorry about the long wait. Reviews are much appreciated!**

 **. . .**

 _August 1, 2006_

 _Outskirts of Shanghai, Chinese Federation_

 _"No! Stop! Stop talking! Stop talking!" A scream sounded, causing the people that were gathered to back off a little bit. The fear that echoed in the small trembling silvery-white haired boy's voice was enough to get them to back off. The boy was curled into a ball on the ground, his eyes squeezed shut, his silvery white hair falling into his face, his little hands clenched into fists._

 _"Stop talking! Stop talking! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" He screamed, rocking back and forth._

 _C.C. swiftly wove her way through the crowd of people. She had only left Mao for a little while, and there had been no one close enough for him to hear the thoughts of, but she hadn't counted on the caravan arriving earlier than what the city had planned for._

 _She pushed past a few people, meandered around another, and finally broke free from the crowd that had gathered around the small, trembling, screaming boy._

 _"Stop it! Stop it! Stop talking! Stop talking!" The boy screamed, his hands going to his ears and he clutched at them as if that would stop the voices that were echoing in his head._

Oh Mao, _C.C. thought, moving forward. She hadn't expected the small boy's Geass to go out of control quite as quickly as it had but it had. She didn't know if it was because of his age or because he did use it quite a bit. It could be a combination of the two._

 _She moved forward and knelt down beside Mao. She drew the silvery-white haired boy into her arms and gently rocked her back and forth, her long green hair falling on him like a green waterfall. She lifted her golden eyes to the crowd and glared at them._

 _"There's nothing to see here," she snapped. Gradually, the people in the caravan moved away._

 _"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" Mao screamed, clutching tightly at his ears._

 _"Shh," C.C. whispered, lowering her head again and gently rocking the small boy in her arms. "Shh, it's okay. Don't listen to them. Just listen to the sound of my voice. Just listen to it. Listen only to me. Focus only on me. It'll be okay. I'm here. Calm down and listen to my voice."_

 _The trembling boy's screams started to die down and he lifted his head, his Geass-encompassed eyes filling with tears and he launched himself at C.C. He clung to her, crying and trembling but at least he wasn't screaming anymore._

 _As his trembles died down, C.C. stood up and walked away from the people in the caravan that were still hovering nearby. She walked until she was far enough away so that Mao wouldn't hear the thoughts of the people in the city anymore and looked around for someplace to spend the night._

 _She finally found a barn off the side of the road. It looked like it would fall apart at any moment but it would do. She made her way to the barn door and shouldered it open, looking around until she spotted a stack of hay nearby. She walked over to it and, putting Mao down, she began to pull the hay off the stack._

 _"C.C.?" Mao whispered, lifting his head._

 _"I'm still here. I'm just making us somewhere to sleep so we'll be comfortable," C.C. said as she laid the hay around. Once the layer of hay was thick enough that it would be a bit more comfortable than sleeping on the floor, C.C. turned to Mao and lifted him up. She walked over to the hay and laid down, resting Mao next to her._

 _"At least we have a roof over our heads," she said._

 _"You'll stay with me?" Mao whispered, gazing pleadingly at C.C._

 _"Yes, I will," C.C. murmured._

 _"Thank you. I love you, C.C.," Mao murmured and, closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep._

 _C.C. closed her eyes as well and soon drifted off to sleep herself._

 _ **. . .**_

 **37**

 **The Chinese Mind Reader**

 _April 8, 2017_

 _Tokyo Settlement, Area 11_

The ship glided to a halt, the waters that had been churning behind it calmed down, and the main engines shut down. The large group of people gathered on the deck of the ship moved toward the boarding ramp as it was lowered. Among them was a tall Chinese man with medium-length silver-white hair and long bangs hanging over his face. Black and purple headphones encompassed his head, purple sunglasses covered his eyes, and two golden earrings rested in his ears. He was dressed in a light-blue short jacket with symmetrical gold and blue intricate designs with a long Chinese linen shirt with maroon sleeves. Buckles and straps wrapped around his wrists and brown gloves adorned his hands. Long black trousers covered his legs, tucked into brown boots with two straps on both sides, and buckles around his calves.

"Hmm, so this is Area 11. So this is where she has been this entire time," Mao said to himself as he followed the crowd of people off the boat, keeping the voice of his beloved C.C. echoing in his head so as to drown out the crowd's thoughts. It had taken him so long to find even a whisper of a trace of where his beloved had gone but, finally, his long search had paid off.

 _Now where will she be? She has to be around here but where can I find her?_ He thought as he strode onto the dock and headed for the settlement that stretched out beyond.

He moved further and further from the crowd of people and, when he was out of range of them, he slowly pulled the headphones off and paused the recorder that he had tucked into the pocket of his jacket. He gazed around, reaching out for the mind of someone nearby; there weren't a lot of people around and that helped Mao focus his attention.

 _...don't know where I'm going. Where the hell am I?_

 _...quite annoying._

 _...caught a glimpse of a green-haired girl. Wonder who she is._

Mao focused his attention on the mind of the person who'd just thought that and drifted toward it, smirking when he caught sight of the Britannian soldier, an Honorary Britannian by the looks of him, that was walking toward the Shinjuku Ghetto. He had burnt-orange-colored hair and tanned skin, no doubt from the time he spent outside, and he was dressed in a gold-and-black uniform that, while still militaristic, separated him from everyone else.

"So you saw a girl with green hair and you don't know who she is?" Mao said loudly.

The boy, Tadashi his mind said was his name, jumped and whirled around, gun in his hand and pointed at Mao.

Mao just raised his hands and clapped, giggling. "Oh don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk to you about that woman you saw," he said.

... _How'd he know about that? And what's someone from the Chinese Federation doing here? I should alert Prince Lelouch…_

"Why bother alerting the prince when I just want to ask you a question?" Mao said.

... _Shit. How did he know I was thinking about doing that? Did he read my mind?_

"Why yes I did," Mao said with a laugh. "So this green-haired woman?"

"I dunno what you're talking about," Tadashi said.

... _I wonder if he's talking about the same girl that's staying at the Viceroy's Palace. Lelouch only told us not to tell anyone about her so she's probably important. I wonder why she's so important…_

Following that thought, Tadashi thought about the description of the woman and Mao grinned when he realized that he had, indeed, found his beloved. But what was she doing with a prince? He needed to know more and the best way to get answers would be to get close enough to the prince and read his mind.

"Why thank you," Mao said and, laughing, strode off.

"That was weird," he heard Tadashi mutter before he walked off.

Mao continued on to his destination, heading straight for the Viceroy's Palace. He gritted his teeth when far too many thoughts echoed in his mind but he forced himself to endure it as he sought the one that he wanted to read. He focused on the palace itself; he didn't know how much time had passed by before he finally found the mind he was looking for.

... _have quieted down since Lake Kawaguchi but what is the Liberators' endgame? They clearly don't support the JLF and they didn't do anything to me, despite the fact that I'm the Viceroy, but…_

"So this is the prince that kid mentioned?" Mao murmured and focused on that mind again, one hand twitching toward his headphones but he forced himself to continue. He needed to know more; he needed to confirm the truth.

... _What the hell is she doing here? I told her to try to avoid attracting the attention of everyone in the palace. It's bad enough my Royal Guard and Suzaku know about her, though that had been on complete accident, and Tadashi's big mouth. I wish she'd listen to me and I can't even use my Geass on her; she already said it wouldn't work._

Mao froze. Geass. _C.C.? You gave out Geass? To this prince? He stole you away from me! That little bastard! He stole you away from me!_ He thought furiously. Turning around, he put his headphones back on and turned up the volume of the recording, eager to listen to his sweet beloved's voice to rid himself of the headache that was forming. As he listened to it, he thought about what to do with he knowledge that he now had.

He didn't know for how long he'd been walking when he suddenly ran into someone, causing both of them to stumble.

"Watch where the hell you're going, you fucking moron," the bluenette he'd run into snapped in fury, shoving Mao hard away.

"There's no need to be so rude," Mao huffed, stumbling again but managing to keep his balancing. He studied the man; his blue hair was short-cropped and his eyes were so dark they were nearly black. He didn't look Eleven but he also didn't look Britannian; European, maybe?

"What the fuck are you looking at?" the man snarled.

Mao didn't answer. Instead, he lowered his headphones, thankful to find that this man was the only one within his range. He quickly found all that he needed to know about this young man.

He went by the name Nightfall.

He was the leader of the second half of the divided Liberators.

He was a sadistically unstable psychopath who delighted in killing others.

He was in the Tokyo Settlement to finish gathering the information he needed to put his plan into action.

And…

"You have a vendetta against Prince Lelouch, eh?" Mao said with a grin.

"How the fucking hell do you know that?" Nightfall exclaimed, glaring at him.

"I just do. I have a vendetta against him too. Why don't we work together to get back at him?" Mao suggested.

"Tch, I wanna fucking kill him. Whether it's slowly and painfully like it was with Stromberg or quickly, I don't care. I just wanna fucking kill him," Nightfall said. "So I guess we could work together, so long as I get to be the one who kills him. Got it?"

"Fine by me," Mao said with a grin, clapping his hands. _Oh C.C., soon we will be reunited. I look forward to the day where I can see your beautiful face again,_ he thought and laughed.

"And everyone says I'm crazy," Nightfall muttered.

 **. . .**

 _Lelouch's Office, Viceroy's Palace_

"Why are you here?" Lelouch said, rubbing his head and giving the green-haired woman an irritated look.

Said green-haired woman was currently lounging on the couch with her feet tucked under her and a slice of pepperoni pizza in her hands. Her amber eyes studied him apathetically as she chewed on the pizza, grease dribbling down the side of her mouth.

"Is it really such a big surprise that I would check up on you?" she said.

"Whether you wished to check up on me or not, you could have done that when I didn't have my entire Royal Guard in here with me," Lelouch said. He had been speaking with most of his Royal Guard, he gave Tadashi leave to go visit his family for his little brother's birthday, about what happened the day before as well as discussing possible reasons for why the Liberators acted as they had—and why they called themselves the United Liberators—when C.C. had strode into the office like she owned the place. He had dismissed his Royal Guard at that time to ensure that no knowledge of Geass got out; he may trust his Royal Guard but not enough to tell them about Geass and the immortal witch who lived with him.

"They already know I'm here. That Tadashi kid spotted me a few days ago and told them," C.C. said with a shrug.

"Yes, I know, but that does not mean that Euphie or Cornelia knows about you and I would rather keep it that way."

"I was bored though. You should learn to treat a lady better than keep her stuffed in a room all day long with nothing to do."

"You're the one who has part of the military after you."

"Do you really think I want to go back there? I can keep myself hidden," C.C. said simply and tilted her head to the side, studying Lelouch. "You're just afraid that someone will find out about my ability to hand out Geass."

"It is an honest concern."

"Perhaps but we are accomplices at the moment so you have no need to worry about me using my ability on others, not so long as you are capable of keeping your end of our contract," C.C. said idly, taking another bite of her pizza and chewing it. "So what will you do now, boyo? Keep me trapped in that room with nothing to do while you continue to bend your knee before the Emperor?"

Lelouch snarled. While he knew that was exactly what he was doing—and he hated every damn minute of it—C.C. did not have to put it so bluntly like that. "It must be easy for you to look at the world with such apathetic eyes. Is there no one in the world that you care about? That you would gladly do anything, even bend a knee to someone you loathe, to keep safe?"

C.C. was silent for a long moment. "Perhaps, at one time, a long time ago," she said finally. She lowered the slice of pizza and added, "But can you really achieve your dream for your little sister if you continue to bow your head in submission to the Emperor?"

"Change will come," Lelouch said, relaxing back into his seat and turning to the stack of papers that littered his desk. "But I will not do anything that will jeopardize Nunnally's safety. As long as she is still in danger, I will do as the Emperor commands." _And hate every damn minute of it._

C.C. hummed. "You really are a complicated person, Lelouch," she said and cast a sidelong glance at the only other person in the room. "And what are your thoughts on your prince's feelings, Suzaku Kururugi?"

Suzaku hesitated, casting a sidelong glance at Lelouch.

"You know you can speak freely when we're alone, Suzaku," he answered the unspoken question.

Suzaku swallowed. "I understand why Lelouch hates the Emperor but...if I remain with him, I hope that I can help him before that hate and desire for vengeance completely overwhelms him and he makes a choice that he will regret," he said finally. "We don't agree on a lot of things, like what happened with Kusakabe, but we are working toward the same goal."

"You are loyal to him," C.C. mused and then leaned forward, fixing inquisitive amber eyes on Suzaku. "But, tell me truthfully, hypothetically speaking, if you were forced to choose between serving your prince or serving Britannia, which would you choose?"

Lelouch's head shot up and he fixed a withering glare on the green-haired witch. "C.C..." he growled warningly.

C.C. ignored him. "Tell me, Suzaku, if you had to choose between your best friend or the country that you serve, which would you choose? Loyalty to your best friend or loyalty to the crown, the very crown you _know_ your best friend hates with a passion?"

Lelouch's hand gripped into a fist. _Damn it, C.C., you're going to ruin everything that I've managed to accomplish with Suzaku,_ he thought. He didn't want Suzaku to know, yet, that he was planning on turning against the Emperor and Britannia just as soon as he found a way to keep Nunnally safe and out of the crossfire. He still had to work out Suzaku's naively foolish belief that the system could change from within and that was challenging enough on its own without C.C. making it more complicated.

"I..." Suzaku trailed off, lowering his head. "I...know Britannia isn't perfect but...Lelouch can change things for the better. I don't have the power to do that, no matter how far in the ranks that I rise. Lelouch, on the other hand, he's a prince and he could, someday, take the throne of Britannia. I...I believe that if Lelouch takes the throne then change will happen."

Lelouch's pen dropped and he whipped his head around to stare at Suzaku, so fast that he nearly gave himself whiplash. _When did this happen?_ He knew that Suzaku wanted to change the system from within but he hadn't thought that Suzaku had actually thought that far ahead.

"Oh?" C.C. raised an eyebrow, amused. "So your answer to my question is both. It's not a question of _who_ you are loyal to, it's a question of _when_ will the time come when both choices become one. Interesting." She hopped off the couch as she finished off the pizza and stretched her arms above her head. "I will be heading back to my room and leave you two boys to discuss this amongst yourself." Without another word, she left the office.

Lelouch barely noticed her leave, still watching Suzaku. "Suzaku...do you really believe that I can create the change that we're both seeking? And by taking the throne?" he asked finally.

"You've created miracles before," Suzaku admitted. "And you are in line for the throne and, if the media's right, you are the Emperor's current favorite so...is it really such a big reach that you could take the throne someday?"

Lelouch was silent for a long moment. "Perhaps not," he said and turned his gaze to his desk. "But I never had any intention of ruling, Suzaku. I never gave it any thought because of how far down the line of succession I was; if anyone is going to take the throne after my _father_ , it would be Schneizel." _And that is what Schneizel wants and what we've teamed up to achieve, along with my own desires,_ he thought.

"Maybe so," Suzaku said. "But...I still think that you could change Britannia for the better if you took the throne. Maybe that's just my own personal opinion based on what I've seen in recent months since we were reunited but that's what I think."

Lelouch hummed, contemplating Suzaku's thoughts, hopelessly naive though they were. Lelouch knew of just how cutthroat and discriminatory the political sphere that governed Britannia really was. Even if he did take the throne, the change that he and Suzaku sought would still not be easily obtained and Lelouch was likely to be blocked every chance the nobility and rest of his family got. And that was just the start of the troubles that Suzaku's idea would bring up if it ever happened.

 _Suzaku, you are too naive. Someday, that naivete is going to cost you but I hope that I can open your eyes before that happens,_ he thought.

Deciding that he needed to get his mind off that, and off C.C.'s annoying words, he stood up. "I'm going to check on Nunnally," he said.

Suzaku nodded and moved to Lelouch's side as he led the way toward the door.

 **. . .**

 _Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse_

Nina was the first to arrive at the meeting room and she immediately made her way to her computer. Due to the highjacking of the hotel, Milly had decided to postpone the vacation for later and they had all come home. Milly insisted that it would be better because it would give everyone a chance to calm down after such an experience and Nina was inclined to agree.

She sat down at her computer and powered it up, her thoughts drifting to the incident at the convention center hotel. She felt bad that she had caused all of that to happen but she hadn't been able to help it; those Elevens just reminded her of that time…

She shoved the thought out of her mind and closed her eyes. _And yet Nunnally, Shirley, and Milly had all been there to comfort me and try to help me and Lelouch…_ That had been a surprise for the prince to actually reveal himself in order to get those Elevens to let Nina and Nunnally go because she knew that he would be in danger. Those Elevens were terrorists after all and terrorists have killed Britannians, and members of the Royal Family—like Clovis—before and yet he'd still done it.

He'd still given himself up to protect her and her friends.

Granted, Nina wasn't stupid. She wanted to believe that Lelouch would have stepped in to save any one of them but a small part of her was sure that he'd only done it because Nunnally had been in danger.

But when she thought about that, she remembered the way he'd looked at all of them and reassured them all that they were going to be all right.

 _"You are all safe now."_

He hadn't just said _you_ , hadn't just been referring to Nunnally; he had been referring to all of them. He had reassured all of them that they were going to be safe after he gave himself up and, perhaps, that was why a larger part of Nina felt that he would have revealed himself even if Nunnally hadn't been in danger.

Nina was brought out of her thoughts by the bright light from her computer and she blinked, surprised by the faint heat on her cheeks. _Why am I blushing?_ She swallowed and forced herself to focus on her research, trying not to think about the cause of the blush, mostly because she wasn't sure what had caused it.

She had only just been thinking about Lelouch and what he did for her, Nunnally, and the rest of the Student Council the day before.

She felt her cheeks heat up. _Could that be…?_

Nina has never really shown any attraction toward members of the other sex, though that was primarily because she was very uncomfortable around them. Only her guy friends on the Student Council were exceptions so she couldn't understand why she was blushing just thinking about her royal friend. She had to admit that he was rather handsome but then no girl could deny that Lelouch was handsome but…

The door opened, distracting Nina from her thoughts and she turned to find Adeline making her way into the meeting room, pushing Nunnally's wheelchair in front of her. Her shoulder was in a bandage and her arm was in a sling but she didn't seem to be having a hard time.

"Good afternoon, Nina," Nunnally greeted Nina.

"Afternoon," Adeline said.

"Good afternoon," Nina said quietly and returned her attention to the computer. She bit her lip, then added, "Um, Nunnally, how are you? After yesterday..."

"I'm okay," Nunnally said with a soft smile. "It was...a scary experience, yeah, but it all turned out for the better in the end, right?"

"All thanks to Lelouch," Adeline commented.

"Yeah...Lelouch..." Nina was surprised again by the faint blush that appeared on her cheeks.

"Are you okay, Nina?" Nunnally asked, tilting her head to the side, her bluish-purple eyes concerned.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine. Like you said, it's over and nothing bad happened so I'm okay," Nina said. She tried to sound confident and reassuring, even though she wasn't feeling that way at all. It seemed as if Adeline and Nunnally bought it though.

The door opened and the rest of the Student Council wandered into the room. Rai moved over to sit beside Nunnally, giving her a shy smile in greeting when she greeted him with a happy "good afternoon, Rai!" Nunnally had really warmed up to Rai in the time it's been since the assassination attempt.

Milly, grinning, sat down at the head of the table, dropping the folders she'd been holding onto the wood, while Shirley and Rivalz sat across from Rai and Nunnally and Kallen sat on Rai's other side while Adeline slid into a seat on Nunnally's other side.

"Okay," Milly said, clasping her hands together. "Before our two lovebirds over there get distracted, let's get to work."

Rai went red. "What...we...I mean...I...huh?" he stammered out.

Nunnally's cheeks reddened. "Milly," she admonished the blond girl.

"Hey, I call it as I see it. Anyway, we have exactly one week until the spring festival so we need to finalize the plans and start getting everything ready," Milly said. "I still haven't found a pilot for the _Ganymede_ either to help with the giant pizza but I'm thinking of asking Lelouch if he'll do it. If not, maybe his knight will be willing to do it."

"But we need to finalize the ideas," Milly added and handed a folder out to everyone. Nina paused in her typing to take the folder Adeline handed her and opened it to the first page, which had the image of an origami crane on its surface.

"Okay, the first thing is Nunnally's suggestion, an origami booth where she and Sayoko will teach anyone who wants to learn how to make simple origami creations. For that, we will need to stock up on origami paper so Adeline, I'll leave you in charge of getting the paper."

"Why me?" Adeline asked.

"Because I said so. Next page!"

Nina flipped the page and the process went on until everyone had been assigned a duty for the upcoming festival. Adeline would be getting supplies for a couple of the booths, Rivalz and Nina were in charge of ordering and organizing the food supplies for the giant pizza, Kallen was to help Milly with directing the entire thing and handling other matters, like security, Rai, Euphie, and Shirley would be helping to get the supplies for the rest of the booths as well as organizing them.

The door opened before anyone could ask too many questions about their respective duties and everyone turned toward it.

"Big Brother!" Nunnally cried happily and Nina started, nearly dropping her folder but she managed to keep her grip on it as Lelouch made his way into the meeting room. He was dressed in his normal royal attire, which made Nina wonder if he'd just come from work. Suzaku stood at his side, scanning the area as he always seemed to do whenever they entered the room.

"Nunnally," Lelouch said warmly, meandering around the table and giving Nunnally a hug, a loving smile on his lips.

Nunnally smiled and hugged Lelouch back. "How are you?" she asked, leaning back and studying her brother's face.

"I'm as well as can be. Just busy dealing with the consequences of yesterday. There are far more than I had anticipated," Lelouch said, kissing Nunnally's forehead and straightening up. "But I decided to take a break and came to check up on you and see how you were doing."

"I'm doing fine, Big Brother," Nunnally said.

"No one is bothering you about what happened?"

"Not me, no. Adeline kinda threatened to break a couple of people's jaws if they didn't leave me alone and, after she actually did punch a kid in the face for being a bit too persistent, everyone's left me alone," Nunnally said.

"That reminds me. I got detention. Damn. I didn't think detentions _could_ be handed out on the weekend," Adeline grumbled.

"But it's a big pain in the butt for the rest of us," Shirley complained. "We're being bugged about what happened everywhere we go and it's annoying. I mean, it's only been a day and they're still bugging about it."

"It really is," Rai said quietly.

Kallen nodded in meek agreement. "But at least you are all okay," she said.

"It was thanks to Lelouch!" Milly leaned toward Shirley and grinned as she added, "Who knew your lover could be a knight in shining armor too?"

"M...Madame President!" Shirley cried, her face going bright red.

"Milly!" Lelouch groaned at the same time, a faint blush on his cheeks.

 _Knight in shining armor?_ Nina thought, looking at Lelouch who was glowering irritably at Milly.

"What? That's what you were," Milly said.

"If anyone's a knight in shining armor, it's Suzaku," Lelouch said.

"He's an actual knight so I can see that," Nunnally said with a giggle.

"Yeah, I can see that too," Euphie said and grinned at Suzaku who coughed, his cheeks going red, and looked away.

"Hey, Rai, can you get me some origami paper?" Nunnally asked.

"Sure," Rai said, getting to his feet and moving over to the cabinet. He returned with a stack of origami paper and placed it in front of Nunnally.

"Thank you," Nunnally said with a bright smile, which caused Rai to blush and his blush deepened when Nunnally's hand brushed his when she reached for the origami sheet on top.

"Y...You're w...welcome," Rai stammered out.

Lelouch watched Rai like a hawk, his eyes narrowed.

"Siscon," Milly teased.

"I am not a siscon!" Lelouch snapped.

"What's a siscon?" Nunnally asked innocently.

"Nothing, nothing to concern yourself with."

 **. . .**

 _April 9, 2017_

 _Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement_

Sunday found Nunnally and Euphemia seated on a blanket next to the artificial stream in the gardens of the Viceroy's Palace. They were eating sipping at tea while enjoying the peaceful afternoon and waiting for Cornelia and Lelouch to take a break from their duties to spend time with them. Both of them had said that they would try and Nunnally hoped that they would.

She may have been able to spend a little bit with her big brother at Ashford yesterday but it hadn't nearly been enough. She supposed that, while she was hiding it behind a smile around her friends, she was still shaken up by what happened on Friday; Euphie and Adeline both knew that but she hadn't really talked about it with anyone.

She supposed after all that had happened to her since her royal heritage had been revealed, it shouldn't be that big of a surprise that she was shaken and a bit skittish. Her therapist was definitely helping her get over what happened with Tara, both times, but this newest incident was definitely something that she was going to have to talk with her when she saw her next.

She was glad that her therapist was kind and was willing to listen no matter what Nunnally talked with her about. The only thing that Nunnally hadn't discussed with her therapist was something that she was trying not to worry about herself.

The feelings that Tara's words still stirred up within her, those feelings of uselessness and the fact that she felt that, no matter what Lelouch said, she was still a burden to him. She has been trying for weeks to convince herself that Lelouch really didn't see her as a burden and so if he didn't see her as a burden then she wasn't one but there were days when it was harder than others.

Today was one such example and Nunnally wasn't entirely sure what had brought on those thoughts.

"What's wrong, Nunnally? You're expression just went sad. Was it something I said?" Euphie asked concerned.

Nunnally blinked and blushed when she realized that she had tuned out her half-sister's words and gotten lost in her thoughts. She felt bad for ignoring Euphie and immediately set out to rectify that. "Oh, I'm fine. I'm sorry for ignoring you. Um, what were you saying?" she asked.

Euphie frowned in concern and Nunnally was pretty sure the pink-haired girl didn't believe her. But she didn't push. "I was talking about the cat I found in the Tokyo Settlement," she said. "It was on Thursday and I'd just gone out for a little walk in disguise and I ran into this little kitten. It was so cute! And...I may have smuggled it into the Viceroy's Palace while I was visiting Nellie."

Nunnally blinked. "So there's a kitten running around the Viceroy's Palace, and has been running around the palace since Thursday?" she asked.

"Um, yeah. I was gonna look for him yesterday but I got distracted by the work for the Student Council and..." Euphie trailed off, blushing.

Nunnally's lips quirked and she started giggling. "Well, maybe Adeline and I can help you look," she offered. "It probably would be best to find him before Nellie or Big Brother find him."

"Yeah, probably," Euphie said. She put down her tea cup and added, "But are you really okay, Nunnally? 'Cause you know that you can talk to me about anything if you want, right?"

"I know," Nunnally said, chewing on her lower lip and looking down at the warm amber liquid in the tea cup in her hand. "I just started thinking about something that I haven't thought about in weeks and...I don't...I..." She trailed off, her voice starting to shake a little and she bit her lip, putting the tea cup back onto its little plate before she dropped it.

"Nunnally?" Euphie whispered.

"Euphie, why am I such a burden to Big Brother?" Nunnally blurted out.

Euphie started, dropping her tea cup but ignoring the splash of tea that stained her dress. "What?" she said. "Why would you ask that, Nunnally? You could never be a burden to Lelouch. He loves you more than anyone."

"I just...I feel like I cause so much more work for him and I'm just so useless and helpless! I couldn't even do a thing to help myself or Nina at Lake Kawaguchi. He had to give himself up, and put himself into danger, because I couldn't do a damn thing for myself! And I hate it! I hate that I'm nothing more than a weak worthless bitch who can't do anything!" Nunnally burst into tears and Euphie, taking her tea cup and putting it down, quickly gathered Nunnally into her arms.

"Go get Lelouch, Adeline," she ordered Adeline.

"Right," Adeline said and Nunnally vaguely heard her jog out of the gardens through her choked sobs.

"Shh, shh," Euphie whispered, rubbing Nunnally's back but she said nothing more and simply let Nunnally sob.

 **. . .**

"Suzaku?"

A pained wince. "Yeah?"

"You have a cat attached to your ankle."

"I know."

"...Why do you have a cat attached to your ankle?"

"I have no clue."

Suzaku winced again as he attempted to remove the small gray kitten that had lodged both its claws and teeth into his ankle for some reason. He knew that he didn't have the greatest luck when it came to animals, cats hated him for no apparent reason, but he was not expecting to get attacked by one when he stepped out of Lelouch's office for a second to deliver a message to Jeremiah.

Lelouch folded his arms across his chest, watching the entire scene with amusement in his eyes. "Haven't cats always hated you for no reason?" he asked.

"Yeah. Ow! I still don't know why. Ow!"

"This is hilarious! I really hope someone is video taping this," Rayne laughed.

"You wouldn't find it funny if you, ow!, had a cat lodged in your, ow!, ankle that won't, ow!, let go," Suzaku said through gritted teeth as each of his attempts to remove the kitten only resulted in the kitten sinking its claws or teeth deeper into his ankle. "This is getting ridiculous! What in the world do cats have against me?"

Lelouch laughed but moved forward and, kneeling down, gently pried the kitten from Suzaku's ankle. The cat let go and curled up in Lelouch's arms as the prince stood up, stroking the cat's head. "He seems to like me," he said.

"Why would he like you and not me?" Suzaku said bewildered. "I love cats but you don't really care for animals period."

Lelouch shrugged. "Maybe you made it mad at you or something," he said.

"I've never seen that cat before in my life," Suzaku said and studied the cat. He experimentally stretched out a hand toward the cat only to yank it back in an instant when the cat's hackles raised and it hissed. "Really?"

"You gotta admit, this is very funny," Rayne said, nudging Lila in the side.

"I suppose," Lila said, her lips quirking slightly.

"I have to wonder just how a cat got into the Viceroy's Palace to begin with though. The palace has impeccable security after all," Dimitri said.

"Yeah, to stop _humans_ from entering. After all, who ever heard of a cat posing danger to the residents of the palace?" Rayne said. She waved a hand at the kitten and added, "And that cat seems like it only wants to hurt Suzaku so it's perfectly safe."

"Not for me," Suzaku complained. Being in his best friend's office with just the people that he had trained with, the fellow recruits turned soldiers that he'd become friends with, was the only reason why he was letting loose and acting his age.

Lelouch snickered.

"The great white knight taken down by a small feline," Rayne said and burst out laughing.

"Rayne," Suzaku protested.

"How about white knight versus kitten. Kitten wins?" Kay said, which caused Rayne's laughter to grow harder as she clutched at her side.

"Really, Kay?"

"How about white knight loses his first battle to a kitten?" Lila said.

"Not you too, Lila!"

Everyone chuckled, even Dimitri, and Suzaku folded his arms across his chest, resisting the urge to pout.

The door to the office opened, cutting everyone's laughter off, and a panting Adeline rushed into it.

Lelouch frowned. "Adeline? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Nunnally just burst out crying while we were in the gardens. Princess Euphemia sent me to get you," Adeline said.

Lelouch put the cat on his desk and bolted out of the room before Adeline finished speaking.

Suzaku darted after him, easily able to keep up with his prince's strides.

The two of them, with Adeline trailing behind them, darted down the hallway and into the elevator that would take them to the gardens. Once the elevator came to a stop, Suzaku and Lelouch headed down the hallway and slipped into the garden.

Nunnally was still sobbing in Euphemia's arms but Lelouch was across the gardens in seconds and gathering his little sister into his arms. Nunnally latched onto him in an instant, burying her face into his chest and sobbing.

"What happened, Euphie?" Lelouch asked as he stroked Nunnally's hair.

"I...I'm not entirely sure," Euphemia admitted, looking at Nunnally worriedly. "We were just talking and she suddenly looked sad so I asked her what was wrong." She explained the rest of their conversation, Suzaku briefly wondered if the cat that Euphemia had brought into the palace was the same cat that had taken a disliking to him, and then explained the rant that Nunnally had unleashed.

Lelouch's lips thinned as he looked down with warm eyes at the sobbing princess he held in his arms. "She broke down like this after what happened with Tara," he said quietly. "She was getting better and her therapist has been helping a lot but...Lake Kawaguchi must have brought all those feelings Tara made her feel back to the surface."

"Tara? That girl that you said..." Euphemia trailed off, her eyes going sad as she gazed at Nunnally. "She shouldn't have to deal with any of this."

"I agree," Lelouch murmured. "She should've just remained a student and not have to worry about the troubles being a member of the royal family brought with it." His eyes hardened but he said nothing more, just kept stroking his little sister's hair.

Eventually, Nunnally calmed down enough to pull back and gaze up at Lelouch. "B...Big Brother?" she whispered.

Lelouch wiped the remnants of her tears away from her eyes. "I'm here, Nunnally," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. Euphie told me about what you said and I want to emphasize that you are none of those things you think you are. You're not worthless, you're not a burden, you're not useless, and you're not weak," Lelouch whispered softly.

"But...you were in danger...and I..." Nunnally began.

"Nunnally," Lelouch interrupted gently, stroking a thumb along Nunnally's tearstained cheek. "I did what I did because it was to keep you safe. I would do anything to protect you and keep you safe but just because I would do that, that doesn't mean you're a burden and that doesn't mean you're weak, worthless, or useless. I've already told you that and I did so because it's the truth."

Nunnally buried her face back into Lelouch's chest, clutching at his clothes. "I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I...I thought I was getting better b...but..."

"It takes time, far more time than simply a month, but I have no doubt that you will get over it. You're a strong girl and you have the strongest heart out of everyone that I have ever met. You aren't weak, far from it really," Lelouch said softly.

Nunnally sniffed and gazed up at her big brother again. "R...Really?" she stammered.

Lelouch touched his forehead to hers. "Really," he assured her softly.

She smiled. "Thank you, Big Brother," she said and rested her head back onto his chest.

Suzaku watched the heartwarming scene between brother and sister.

The door to the garden opened and Kay stepped into the garden. "Forgive me for interrupting, Your Highness," Kay said with a bow when Lelouch glanced toward him, narrowing his eyes. "But General Andon wishes to speak with you in person at the Tokyo Military Base now. He says it is urgent."

Lelouch frowned and brief hesitation filled his eyes.

"Go on, Big Brother," Nunnally said, giving Lelouch a small smile. "I'll be okay now."

Lelouch hesitated again but, when Nunnally gave him a look, he nodded. "I'll be back as soon as possible," he said and kissed Nunnally's forehead. "If I don't get back by the time you return to Ashford, I'll call you tonight."

"Okay, Big Brother," Nunnally said and Lelouch, gently putting Nunnally back onto the blanket she'd been sharing with Euphie, stood up and, with Suzaku falling into step beside him, walked out of the gardens.

 **. . .**

 _Tokyo Military Base, Tokyo Settlement_

"It's been a few weeks since we've been here," Lelouch commented nonchalantly as he and Suzaku made their way down the hallway with his Royal Guard gathered around him. While what happened with Nunnally was on the forefronts of his mind, Lelouch was able to put it carefully away to focus on his job.

As he told C.C., until he could get Nunnally safely out from under the thumb of the Emperor, that was all he could do. It was even more important that Lelouch do nothing to incur the Emperor's wrath while his beloved little sister was in such emotional turmoil. He hoped that her therapist would be able to help her start recovering from what happened at Lake Kawaguchi though.

He walked into General Andon's office and was surprised to find his elder half-brother Schneizel on the monitor on Andon's desk. "General Andon, Brother, you wished to speak with me?" Lelouch said with a polite incline of his head as he gestured for his guard to wait outside. He slid into the seat across from Andon and Suzaku took up his position on Lelouch's right.

" _Lelouch, it has been a while,_ " Schneizel greeted him. " _You have certainly amassed quite the reputation and appear to be keeping it if what happened with the Yamato Alliance is any indication._ "

"I assume that you did not ask me here to discuss that," Lelouch said, not one to beat around the bush.

" _You would assume correctly,_ " Schneizel said.

"The Emperor is starting to take notice to just how powerful the Liberators are becoming and the Liberators actions and speech at Lake Kawaguchi a few days ago is proof that they are getting more powerful," Andon said. "You would not know this but, seven years ago, a few weeks before the invasion of Area 11, the Liberators spoke that exact speech and it stirred the masses."

" _Organizations, big and small, from various areas flocked to the Liberators and greatly increased their size or gave them the support that they used to continue their streak of wins against Britannia,_ " Schneizel said.

"And you think that will happen again now?" Lelouch asked.

" _It is possible. Father has stated that he does not wish for that to happen but whether any of us can stop that is up for debate. However, he does have a new set of orders for you,_ " Schneizel said. His purple eyes were calm and satisfied and Lelouch had this odd feeling that whatever new orders the Emperor had for him was going to work well with his elder half-brother's plan.

" _Lelouch, the Emperor has declared that you are to focus your attention on eradicating the Liberators from Area 11. He has also declared that you shall be promoted once again; you will be promoted to General and you shall assume General Andon's position. The Emperor has decreed that you will be given full command of the 11_ _th_ _Division in Area 11._ "

 _Full command of the 11_ _th_ _Division but that meant…?_ Lelouch's lips curved into a cool smirk. _The Emperor has just handed all of Area 11 to me on a silver platter. This...This will definitely go a long way in fulfilling my own plan._

"I was planning on offering you my position when I retired anyway," Andon said. "So I will simply have to retire a few weeks earlier. Congratulations, Your Highness."

"Thank you, General," Lelouch said calmly.

 **. . .**

"Ohh the big bad prince got a big promotion," Mao said and chuckled, clapping his hands together. "Whatever. Whatever. You in position?"

" _Of course I am, you fucker. I've_ been _in position. Just let me know when the prince decides to leave that office. I dunno how the fuck you're able to know this stuff but, frankly, I don't fucking care,_ " Nightfall said.

"Oie, oie. I don't even know how you managed to get us both into the base to begin with but it's so great that you were able to. And I'm not annoying thank you very much," Mao said with a giggle as he pressed himself in the shadows and gazed toward the hallway where the prince and his knight and royal guard had disappeared. He clutched at the dart blower and handful of darts that Nightfall had given him, preparing to knockout the prince's Royal Guard and his knight.

 _Soon, soon, you will be mine, my beloved,_ Mao thought with a giggle. His head was hurting though since he had to keep his headphones off to keep in contact with Nightfall and it was irritating him but it was all for the best. Because if he could kill the prince who dare steal his beloved from him then he wouldn't have anything standing in his way of his beloved C.C.

" _Yes, you are_ _fucking_ _annoying. Now stop talking or you're going to draw the entire fucking base down on our heads._ "

Mao rolled his Geass-encompassed eyes. Nightfall's thoughts clearly stated that he was greatly irritated by everything.

He paused when he heard voices and turned to the hallway, grinning when he spotted the prince and his knight and Royal Guard walking down the hallway. "Showtime," he said in a whispering sing-song voice.

 **. . .**

Rai eyed the Tokyo Military Base warily and wondered why the hell Milly had insisted that he be the one to ask Lelouch about the festival on Saturday. He hadn't wanted to go anywhere near the military; even now, something about the military screamed at him to _run_ and _get away_. He swallowed, telling himself that he would be fine, and stepped into the military base.

Why Milly couldn't wait until Lelouch returned to the Viceroy's Palace, Rai didn't know but, then, the military base was the one place in the Tokyo Settlement that he had yet to visit. He realized, with a jolt, that there was a chance that Milly had sent him there to see if he would regain some of his memories. He could have been a soldier after all and the military base might help him remember that.

He supposed that it was as good an idea as any as he hadn't been making any progress toward regaining his memories since he'd arrived in front of Ashford Academy.

He walked down the hall, looking around for someone to ask about the prince while, at the same time, feeling both out of place and still experiencing those _get away_ feelings. He knew he wasn't supposed to be there—why Milly thought he could actually get away with this without getting into trouble, Rai didn't know—but Rivalz did suggest that if he got arrested then he could just charge Milly with the needed bail money.

That did nothing to help Rai's nerves.

 _Why did I have to come here? Why couldn't she have waited until the prince visited Ashford Academy? Or I could've gone to the Viceroy's Palace. It probably would have been easier for a student to get into the Viceroy's Palace than the military base,_ Rai thought.

As he walked down the hall, he was surprised by how empty the base was, which was really weird because he was pretty sure that even when no one was fighting, there still should be soldiers around either patrolling or training themselves and their men.

Rai neared the security station he would need to pass to get deeper into the base and froze when he felt a gun suddenly press against his side.

"Well, well, looks like we've got ourselves someone who don't belong," the man behind Rai said. "What should we do with 'im?"

"You know your orders," a man in the security station said, poking his head out of it. "Kill anyone who shows up."

"Yeah, yeah, okay." The man threw Rai into the security station and trained his gun on the white-haired boy as Rai turned and attempted to get to his feet. "Sorry, kid, but orders are orders."

"I haven't even done anything," Rai protested.

"Still. We've got our orders."

Rai gritted his teeth, fear flooding through him as the man in front of him cocked his gun and prepared to fire it. _Am I going to die here?_ He thought; he was pressed up against the wall and there was no room to squeeze past the man in front of him. _Who are these people? Why are they here? They aren't Britannian but they aren't Elevens either. Terrorists?_

"Kill the kid already, Scar," the second man said irritably. "We're already running on borrowed time 'cause there's a shift change coming up in half an hour."

The first man, Scar, nodded. "Fine," he said.

Rai pressed his back closer to the wall, though he knew that wouldn't help him at all, and panic began to spread through him, panic mingling with fear. Suddenly, a faint burning sensation erupted in Rai's left eye, an uncomfortable but not painful burning sensation that Rai recognized. While he felt a feeling in his gut that he shouldn't be doing this, he found himself tapping into the same power that had gotten him free from that lab.

" _Leave me alone_!" He said just loud enough for the two men in front of him to hear him.

A sphere of red shot away from him, encompassing the entire security station, and leaving a ring of red around the irises of those two terrorists. They blinked and looked at each other before the first man holstered his gun and they wandered out of the security station.

The faint burning sensation went away as the red sphere collapsed and Rai sagged against the wall, closing his eyes as nausea for some unexplained reason went through him. He still had no idea why his mind kept telling him that it was wrong for him to use that ability and, while he had not used it once since he'd gotten out of that lab, he really didn't have a choice. They were going to kill him.

That didn't make the feeling go away.

Forcing himself to not think about that and, instead, track down the prince, Rai pushed himself to his feet. He couldn't dwell on what just happened because those guys were obviously up to no good and the prince should be warned that something was wrong.

Rai just wished he knew what was going on.

He darted out of the security station and down the hallway, looking around for anyone that he could ask directions from. He rounded the corner and found himself near the hangar where a few knightmares were placed along with supply boxes and crates and technicians wandering around, writing on clipboards or talking into their communicators. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary but those terrorists had been at the security station.

 _Could they have already gotten into the base and those two people were just there to prevent people outside from interrupting?_ Rai thought.

 **. . .**

Suzaku was having a bad feeling and it wouldn't go away.

He frowned, tuning out the conversation between Rayne, her twin, and Lila on a party that Lila's parents were holding at their house Sunday evening, and scanned the area. His hand twitched toward the holster where his gun was stored.

"Something wrong?" Lelouch asked, bringing himself out of the thoughts he appeared to have drifted into and looking at Suzaku.

"Something just feels...off, my prince," Suzaku said, still looking around with a frown. _Why do I get the feeling that we're being watched? And where is everyone? The base was busy when we arrived but it's not as busy now, which is odd,_ he thought as they were about to pass the door leading into the hangar.

Suddenly, Rayne yelped. "Kay!" as Kay suddenly slumped to the ground with a dart attached to his neck. Suzaku reacted instantly, tackling Lelouch out of the way just as more darts were shot toward the Royal Guard. The two of them went tumbling through the door and into the eerily empty hangar bay.

"Ha, you do have quick reflexes, oh Mr. Knight in Shining Armor," a laughing voice said and Suzaku narrowed his eyes as a silver-haired Chinese man strode into the hangar, throwing a blowpipe over his shoulder. He had purple sunglasses resting over his head and headphones hanging around his neck.

"Who are you?" Suzaku demanded.

"I have nothing to say to you. I'm only here to speak with the thief behind you," the Chinese man said.

"Thief?"

Lelouch pushed himself to his feet, narrowing his eyes. "Who are you?" he asked.

The Chinese man giggled, clapping his hands together. "You don't really wanna know that. You're far too concerned about your Royal Guard and about how I got in here. Rest assured, I have my ways," he said.

Lelouch stared. "How did…?"

"...I know that? Take a wild guess," the Chinese man said with a chuckle and tilted his head to the side. "And don't bother on trying to contact security. My companion has already dealt with them. And your guards will be unconscious for a good hour by the way."

Lelouch's jaw clenched. "You can read minds," he said finally.

"Bingo! Give the boy a prize," the Chinese man said, clapping and laughing before he briefly lowered his purple sunglasses to reveal dark eyes, both of which were encompassed by the sigil of Geass.

"You have Geass as well," Lelouch said.

"Just as you do. Oh, I know all about your power, how you can only use it on people once, how you have to have eye contact with them. I know all of your power's weaknesses," the Chinese man said as he replaced the sunglasses. "And I also know that you, thief, will pay for stealing my beloved from me."

"What are you talking about?"

The Chinese man snarled. "You know who I'm talking about! My beloved C.C! You stole her from me, you thieving bastard," he snapped.

"I see," Lelouch said. "So you were one of C.C.'s contractors as well?"

"We are more than that. We are lovers and you tore us apart," the Chinese man snapped. "And you're gonna pay for that. Nightfall and I will ensure that."

Suzaku froze, eyes wide with shock. _Nightfall._ He whipped his head around to look at Lelouch and, while Lelouch's face remained unfazed and his eyes impassive, the slightest twitch of his jaw and slight tensing of his posture told Suzaku that he was just as shocked and worried as he was.

After all, Nightfall has wanted Lelouch dead ever since Sapporo.

"So he's finally making his move," Lelouch murmured.

"He's been planning something like this for a while since he left you his little message. Oh and don't bother on hiding it. I know you're scared, Demon Prince," the Chinese man said with a laugh. "As you should be, you thieving bastard."

Suzaku shifted until he stood in front of Lelouch, scanning the area since he didn't know what this Chinese man and Nightfall had planned. They were in the hangar bay, there were a couple of knightmares stationed nearby, and the place was devoid of technicians. The supply boxes and crates easily provided places for assassins to hide.

Lelouch figured that as well, turning and pressing his back to Suzaku's, his handgun in his hand as his intelligent amethyst eyes scanned the area.

"That's not gonna help~" the Chinese man said in a sing song voice and laughed. "You're good to go, Nightfall."

" _About fucking time,_ " Nightfall's voice echoed over the communicator that the Chinese man had held to his ear. " _Unless you want to get fried alongside the bastard prince and his knight, I suggest you get the fuck outta the way, Mao._ "

The Chinese man, Mao, laughed and darted away.

 _What is he planning?_ Suzaku thought.

"Even you can't dodge a knightmare without one of your own," Mao said.

A crash sounded and Lelouch swore. Suzaku twisted his head and paled when he saw that, somehow, Nightfall must have highjacked a Sutherland and was currently aiming its assault rifle at Lelouch.

" _Try escaping from this, you bastard,_ " Nightfall's voice called from within the Sutherland as the assault rifle powered up.

 **. . .**

Rai darted across the hangar bay while the rogue Sutherland was distracted with powering up its weapons system. He didn't know if he could really do anything to help but it was clear that the prince and his knight would not get out of this matter alive unless he did something. If they tried to move, that Chinese man would probably gun them down but if they didn't then that Sutherland would kill him.

Rai just needed to distract that Sutherland.

 _I'll use another Sutherland. I dunno how well this will work out since I don't think I've ever piloted a knightmare before but I've gotta try,_ he thought as he bolted up the stairs leading to the cockpit of the available Sutherland. He slipped into the cockpit, glad that the activation key was already in there, and inserted it. He activated it; thankfully, this one didn't require a unique activation code.

Once the systems powered up, Rai shot the knightmare forward, surprised by how smoothly he was able to do that, and slammed it directly into the rogue Sutherland, causing its blast to go off course. It struck the railing above but Rai didn't focus on that as he jumped back and, removing his own assault rifle, began firing at the rogue Sutherland.

The rogue Sutherland immediately danced out of the way and the voice that sounded faintly Russian echoed from him. " _Who the fuck are you?_ "

Rai ignored the question and dove forward, exchanging the assault rifle for a jousting lance and ramming it toward the rogue Sutherland. He danced out of the way, moving so swiftly as if the knightmare was a part of his own body, and stabbed toward the enemy. The enemy moved out of the way but Rai morphed the stab into a slash and the jousting lance crashed into the side of the rogue Sutherland, causing it to slide to the side.

Rai jumped forward, exchanging the lance for the rifle, and firing rapidly. He didn't even know what he was doing; he was acting on autopilot, moving as if he was fighting on the ground and the Sutherland seemed to be obeying his movements...

 _Flames coiled into the sky as he darted forward, dancing to the side to avoid a fist aimed at his face, and crashed a roundhouse kick into the back of the enemy's head. He whirled around and fired the handgun in his hand at another enemy and then at another…_

Rai gasped, blinking and confused by that sudden image that had come into his head.

While he was unsure of where that had come from, it gave him an idea.

He jumped backwards, dancing to the side to avoid the rogue Sutherland's jousting lance and, jumping forward, landed a roundhouse kick with his landspinner into the back of the rogue Sutherland's cockpit. As it stumbled to the side, Rai pivoted, assault rifle in hand, and peppered the rogue Sutherland with bullets. His movement brought him in front of the enemy, and between the enemy and Prince Lelouch and his knight.

" _Damn you, you little fucker. Get the fuck out of my way,_ " the rogue knightmare's pilot snarled.

Rai keyed on his loudspeaker. "No. I'm not letting you harm His Highness," he said firmly…

 _"I...I...we won't let you hurt anyone! I'll fight. We'll all fight._ "

Rai gritted his teeth as those words echoed in his head, words that he felt he had said before but he wasn't sure where or when. _Another memory?_

" _Gah, fine then. I'll just kill you first!_ " the pilot across from him snarled and launched his knightmare at Rai.

The white-haired boy yanked himself from his thoughts and quickly met the oncoming attack with one of his own.

 **. . .**

 _That sounds like Rai,_ Lelouch thought, marginally amazed by how proficient of a knightmare pilot Rai was even though the likelihood that he ever piloted a knightmare in the past he couldn't remember was slim.

Mao snorted in amusement. "Nightfall getting beat by a boy? Ha. Whatever. I know I said I'd let Nightfall be the one kill the thieving bastard but, since he's busy..." he began, pointing his gun at Lelouch.

But Suzaku was already in motion. While Mao was distracted by the fight, Suzaku had slipped into his blindspot and launched himself at him. With a spinkick straight to the face, he caused Mao to stumble and knocked his gun out of his hand. Darting forward, he grabbed Mao's arm.

"You are under arrest for the attempted assassination of Prince Lelouch vi Britannia," Suzaku said firmly, tightening his grip on Mao's hand.

Mao snarled and yanked hard on Suzaku's grip. "Let go of me, Father Killer!" He shouted.

Suzaku froze.

Lelouch's gaze snapped away from the fight between Rai and Nightfall to look at his best friend.

Mao, using Suzaku's shock to his advantage, yanked his arm free from the brunet's grip. "That's right, you're a murderer. You killed your own father seven years ago," he sneered smugly.

"I...I...I..." Suzaku stammered out.

"Genbu Kururugi was said to have committed suicide," Lelouch said with a frown.

"A lie," Mao said with a chuckle, smirking at Suzaku. "Everyone has been lying for him. Genbu Kururugi called for a do-or-die resistance and you thought stopping him would end the war. What a childish idea. The fact is you're a murderer!"

"I...I..." Suzaku stammered out, his shoulders shaking.

Mao laughed. "Everyone in Kyoto knew; that was why they covered it up, making it look like a suicide even though it was all you fault!"

"I had no choice!" Suzaku cried, his green eyes wide with wild grief and panic.

"You caused Japan's unconditional surrender by committing such a great sin. It's no wonder you have a death wish!"

Suzaku screamed and fell to his knees, his shoulders shaking and tears streaming from his face.

Lelouch, snarling, fired his handgun directly at Mao. Mao dodged but not swift enough and he screamed in pain when the bullet crashed into his shoulder, throwing him off his feet.

At that moment, Rai jammed his jousting lance into Nightfall's factsphere and sped forward, sending the knightmare directly into the wall dangerously close to where Mao was struggling to get to his feet. The balcony above their head shuddered violently as the support system was taken out and Lelouch darted forward, grabbing Suzaku and diving toward the heart of the hangar bay.

Rai's knightmare jumped back and the balcony collapsed, causing debris and dust to cloud the area and silence fell, broken only by Suzaku's choked sobs and the whirr of Rai's borrowed knightmare.

 **. . .**

 _Lelouch's Office, Tokyo Military Base_

"They staged an attack that drew the majority of the base's active forces a few miles north of the base and then attacked and knocked out the security while everyone was distracted, Your Highness. Security cameras caught them in the act but they were long gone before we could catch them. We have issued an alert throughout Area 11, warning all regiments and police forces to keep an eye out. I have also followed through on your orders and increased security around the Viceroy's Palace and Ashford Academy," Jeremiah reported. He was nursing a bump on his head from when he'd hit the wall after he'd been hit by the knockout drug in that dart. He was still upset that he hadn't noticed the attack before it'd happened but he was grateful that Kururugi had reacted as quickly as he had.

Speaking of Kururugi, he seemed out of it. While he remained leaned against the window, his eyes were distant, and he was looking everywhere but at Lelouch or at anyone else in the room.

Prince Lelouch was unharmed safe for a few scraps and bruises that came from how he'd landed on the floor earlier. He was pacing the length of his office, his brow furrowed, and his eyes showing that he was deep in thought. He nodded once to acknowledge Jeremiah's words as he came to a stop in his pacing.

"Was anyone found in the wreckage?" he asked.

"No, Your Highness," Jeremiah said, biting back his frustration. After the attack, he'd ordered members of the Black Knights to immediately search through the wreckage for any sign of the two assassins. All they'd found was a knightmare with its cockpit ejected, a hole in the wall, and a pool of blood on the ground.

"So they escaped," Prince Lelouch murmured.

"I included the Chinese man, Mao's, description among the others when the alert was issued but Nightfall's description is one we don't have, since we've only ever seen him in a knightmare," Jeremiah said.

"That will have to do for now," Prince Lelouch said, brow furrowing in thought. He waved a hand toward Jeremiah. "You're dismissed. Increase the security around the base."

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah said with a salute and turned on his heel.

"Um, us too?" Rayne asked.

"Yes. I'd like to speak with Suzaku alone. Also, go and have Rai sent up here."

"Okay..." Rayne shrugged and pushed away from the wall she'd been leaning against.

Jeremiah led the way out of the office with the rest of Prince Lelouch's Royal Guard walking after him.

 **. . .**

Suzaku watched the Royal Guard leave, tensing since he already knew what it was that his best friend wanted him to talk about. He'd managed to calm down by the time help had arrived at the scene but was still twitchy and shaky. He knew that there were people out there who knew about what really happened to Genbu Kururugi, like Snows, but he hadn't wanted Lelouch to know.

He hadn't wanted his best friend to now be burdened with the knowledge.

Lelouch waited until the door was closed before he turned to Suzaku. Suzaku avoided his gaze, looking at the ground.

"Everyone believes that Genbu Kururugi committed suicide," Lelouch began. "And it was a necessary lie, one that should be left alone."

Suzaku swallowed. "Thank you," he said quietly, lifting his head finally to look at his best friend.

He remembered when C.C. had spoken to him earlier and how he'd explained that he wanted to remain by Lelouch's side in order to help ensure that Lelouch didn't make a choice that he would regret. He had been thinking about his father when he said that; he knew of just what it felt like to actually kill one's own father and he was hoping that Lelouch wouldn't do the same thing he did.

He knew that Lelouch hated his father but he was hoping that his best friend wouldn't make the same choice that he had. Even if Suzaku had done it in order to stop the do-or-die resistance, and save thousands if not hundreds of thousands of lives, he'd still done it and still carried the guilt with him.

He didn't want his prince to be burdened with that same guilt.

Lelouch nodded once and a quiet knock sounded on the office door. "Come in," he called, moving over to his desk and sitting down as the door opened.

Rai stepped into the room, looking a little nervous. "You wished to see me, Your Highness?" he said with a bow.

"Yes, take a seat," Lelouch said, waving a hand at the armchair across from the desk.

Rai sat down.

"First of all, I would like to thank you for saving my life and the life of my knight earlier today," Lelouch said.

"You're welcome, Your Highness," Rai said.

"Also, I would like to discuss your fight with Nightfall," Lelouch said. "I did not know you were a knightmare pilot."

Rai chuckled nervously, running a hand through unruly white hair. "Neither did I, Your Highness," he admitted.

 _A naturally gifted pilot then,_ Lelouch thought. "It is possible that you were a pilot in your past," he said.

"Maybe..." Rai sounded doubtful.

"Nonetheless, I would like to extend an offer to you, as payment for saving my life," Lelouch said.

"An offer, Your Highness?" Rai asked surprised.

"Yes. I would like you to join the Black Knights," Lelouch said.

"Join...the military?" Rai's eyes went wide and Lelouch frowned at the paling of his cheeks. He had a feeling that whatever had happened in Rai's past, it involved the military and it wasn't good.

"You would be under my direct command, Rai. I understand that you are wary of joining the military, likely due to something that happened in your past, but rest assured that nothing will happen to you while you remain under my command. I will not force you to decide but I believe that your skills as a knightmare pilot should not be something that you just let slip by you since you can use your skills to help protect those who cannot protect themselves."

Rai's eyes glazed over momentarily and he blinked, snapping himself back to the present.

Suzaku wondered at that.

"I...I will do it. To protect those who can't protect themselves," Rai said finally. "Besides...it might...it might help me regain my memories."

Lelouch nodded. "On that note," he said, "a mandatory medical exam will be required. If you wish, we can do an MRI scan to see just what is causing your amnesia. We also might be able to do a DNA test to figure out your identity at least."

"You can find out who I am?" Hope glistened in Rai's voice.

"Possibly yes."

"Okay, Your Highness. Thank you."

 **. . .**

 _Abandoned House, Shinjuku Ghetto_

"Damn that stupid knightmare pilot," Nightfall growled, pacing while glaring at Mao who was propped up against the wall. His headphones were once again resting over his ears and his sunglasses were still over his eyes but Nightfall could tell by the pained twist of his lips that he was still feeling the pain in his shoulder.

Nightfall wasn't a medic. He'd done the best that he could with what little knowledge he had of medical stuff, which was mostly disinfecting it to the best of his ability and bandaging it since the bullet had gone straight through. Even if he was a sadistic bastard, he wasn't about to let his current only ally in his quest for vengeance against the prince die.

"We were so close," Mao moaned, pouting.

"Tch, I wasn't expecting that damn knightmare," Nightfall growled and turned to glare at Mao. "You'd better have another plan or I'm leaving your ass here."

Mao huffed. "Of course I have another plan. We just use someone as bait to draw the prince to us and force him to give himself up in exchange for the hostage," he said.

"And who the fuck would be important enough to the Demon Prince that he would give himself up for them?" Nightfall demanded.

Mao laughed. "There's only one person that we can use against him like this," he said with a grin. "His little sister. Nunnally vi Britannia."

 **. . .**

 **A/n what do you think?**

 **Suzaku: where's Blaze?**

 **Blaze: WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET DIANE'S SACRED TREASURE?! (Is currently running for her life with an enraged Lelouch chasing after her with Diane's War Hammer Gideon)**

 **Suzaku: ah, I see. And Blaze doesn't own** _ **Nanatsu no Taizai**_ **by the way. Also, I'm surprised the mob of Nunnally Fans aren't helping him. Wonder why that is**

 **Kallen: (points out the window)**

 **Suzaku: (looks out the window)**

 **Bakura: (currently has Raid Raptors – Revolution Falcon, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, and Starve Venom Fusion Dragon surrounding the group of terrified Nunnally Fans) try to make a move, I dare you!**

 **Suzaku: …why?**

 **Kallen: Blaze promised to give him free reign do whatever the hell he wants in a world of his choosing for a full week if he kept Nunnally's Fans from killing her. Also, Blaze doesn't own** _ **Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V.**_

 **Suzaku: please don't choose our world, please don't choose our world,** _ **please**_ **don't choose our world**

 **Kallen: (listens to Suzaku plead** **to** **whatever deity was willing to listen and sweatdrops) anyway, Blaze does hope that you enjoyed this chapter and, as usual, reviews are much appreciated.**


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